New study shows non-attenders are at significantly greater risk of death

Men who consistently avoid prostate cancer screening appointments have a 45% higher mortality rate from prostate cancer than those who participate in checks. These are the findings of a new analysis of data from the European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) – the world’s largest prostate cancer screening study, which began in 1991.

The analysis, conducted by experts at the Department of Urology at Erasmus MC Cancer Institute in the Netherlands, found that of 72,460 men invited to screening, around one in six (over 12,400) were non-attenders and skipped every appointment.

Comparing outcomes with a control group of men who had never been invited for screening, men who attended screening appointments had a 23% lower risk of dying from prostate cancer, while non-attenders faced a 39% higher risk of death from the disease. This indicates a great mortality benefit from prostate cancer screening than previously thought.

A complex mix of factors may determine why some men choose not to participate in screening, according to the study’s lead author, Renée Leenen, a PhD researcher in the group led by Professor Monique Roobol at Erasmus.

“It may be that men who opted not to attend a screening appointment are care avoiders, meaning they’re less likely to engage in healthy behaviours and preventative care in general. This is the opposite behaviour of people who are perhaps more health conscious and are more likely to attend a screening appointment.”

The results were presented at the European Association of Urology Congress in Madrid last month.

Europa Uomo advocates for organised prostate cancer screening programmes to be introduced across Europe, and the PRAISE-U project is investigating ways in which this might best be implemented.