SNP Government calls for review into prostate cancer testing after Chris Hoy plea

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The Scottish Government has called for a review into guidance for cancer testing following an emotional plea from Chris Hoy for more men to be screened. SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray said he had written to the UK Screening Committee asking it to carry out a review into testing for prostate cancer.

Olympic cycling champion Hoy is urging men with a family history of the disease to consider seeing their GP. He also said more men should be aware of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test to check for the disease.

It comes after Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he had asked the NHS to look at lowering the screening age for the cancer. Six-time Olympic champion Hoy announced a fortnight ago that his cancer is terminal and that he has two to four years left to live.

Gray told Bauer Media in Holyrood on Tuesday: "I first of all pay tribute to Sir Chris Hoy for the courage, the leadership that he is showing in talking about his case which I know will be incredibly difficult for his family to be going through. I'm very much in awe of the work that he is doing in raising awareness of cancer issues in general but prostate in particular.

"We will obviously take heed of what he is telling us in terms of his story and I'm going to be writing to the UK Screening Committee asking them to carry out a review as to the evidence that is there around the likes of the PSA test, the blood test that I believe plays a part but is not the only part in terms of determining a diagnosis for cancer. We'll make sure that in cohort with others across the UK to make sure that we're capturing people's cancer diagnosis as early as possible."

When asked about there being no screening programme in Scotland, Gray said: "Obviously we take our lead from the UK screening committee in terms of what makes the best difference. Anyone over the age of 50 who has symptoms or has a family history has the right to request a test and to have a conversation with their doctor about the benefits and negatives of that approach.

"What Chris Hoy has asked us to do is look again at the evidence around whether or not we could be offering something at an earlier stage and doing so on a more national basis. That is something certainly that I'm interested in. I want to explore that off the back of the incredible leadership that he has shown.

"That's why I'll be writing to the UK Screening Committee and the UK Government are exploring a very similar route."

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Hoy told BBC Breakfast men should be able to get a screening test when they are younger, with no barriers to accessing one: "Catch it before you need to have any major treatment. To me it seems a no-brainer. Reduce the age, allow more men to just go in and get a blood test.

“Maybe people seeing this or hearing about my story – just by them asking their GP – will create enough of a surge of interest that people that make the decisions will go ‘You know what, we need to address this’. And in the long term this will save potentially millions of lives.”

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