PSA test: the limits, and who can ask for one
The NHS page, last reviewed in September 2024, says routine PSA testing is not offered, though people can ask a GP about one; a screening committee backs a targeted programme for one high-risk group.
A PSA blood test measures the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. A high result does not mean someone has prostate cancer, the NHS says; it may be for other reasons, such as an enlarged prostate.
The limits of the test
The NHS says a PSA result may not be accurate, and a person may be offered tests and treatment they do not need. Prostate Cancer UK says the test can also miss prostate cancer: one major study showed that one in seven men with a normal PSA level may have the disease.
Who can have one
Routine PSA testing is not offered on the NHS unless genetic tests have shown a faulty version of a gene called BRCA2, which raises the risk of prostate cancer, according to the NHS page last reviewed in September 2024.
A doctor may offer a test to someone with symptoms that could be prostate cancer. Men and anyone with a prostate can ask a GP about a PSA test, and the doctor will discuss the benefits and risks before a decision is made.
Prostate Cancer UK, in a page updated in January 2025, says people over 50 who are worried might want to ask a GP about the test, and strongly recommends that people who are Black, or have a family history of prostate cancer, speak to a GP from the age of 45.
What the screening committee recommends
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) says that, after its 2025 to 2026 review of the evidence, it does not recommend population screening for prostate cancer. It recommends a targeted programme with PSA testing every two years for men aged 45 to 61 who have a pathogenic BRCA2 variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer. It does not recommend targeted screening for any other risk groups.
The committee concluded that screening is more likely to cause more harm than good in the whole population, and in men with a family member who has had breast, ovarian or prostate cancer but who do not have a BRCA2 variant. For Black men, it says there is ongoing uncertainty about whether screening would do more good than harm. It lists incontinence and erectile dysfunction in men who do not need treatment among the main harms.
The UK NSC page says its last review took place in March 2026. A GOV.UK equality impact assessment published on 2 June 2026 says ministers in England have agreed to implement a nationally managed approach to PSA testing every two years for men aged 45 to 61 who have pathogenic germline BRCA2 variants with a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer.
