The NHS will offer prostate cancer patients video consultations and home blood tests under government plans to detect tumours earlier.
A reported in The Daily Mail, the initiatives will be detailed in the government’s Men’s Health Strategy, due this week.
Ministers aim to make care easier to access without time off work for in-person appointments or blood clinic visits.
The changes are intended to help doctors identify prostate cancer earlier, when treatment is more effective and survival rates are higher.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Devastatingly, around one in eight men will get it and that risk is doubled in Black men.
“That’s why it’s so important to improve prostate cancer care across the board – from diagnosis to monitoring after treatment.
“I’m determined to bring about genuine change when it comes to prostate cancer and these new tools will meet men where they are, delivering new ways of monitoring and testing for prostate cancer, including from the comfort of your own home.”
Men treated for prostate cancer or on active monitoring will be able to order PSA blood tests through the NHS App for home delivery. PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is a blood protein; higher levels can suggest cancer growth or recurrence.
Patients will take samples and return them at their convenience. The NHS App will also let patients message specialists directly and book appointments when needed.
Remote consultations would allow patients to be seen by doctors anywhere in the country, which may reduce waiting times by sharing workloads with areas that have shorter lists.
Men with raised PSA levels who have not yet been diagnosed will also have access to video consultations, potentially speeding up diagnosis and treatment.
The NHS will also pilot artificial intelligence to detect clinically significant prostate cancer in MRI scans, to ease pressure on radiology departments.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses magnets and radio waves to create detailed internal images.
The UK National Screening Committee is reviewing developments in prostate cancer diagnosis and is expected to report later this year. A study last month found that screening men for prostate cancer cut the risk of death by 13 per cent.
David James, director of patient projects and influencing at Prostate Cancer Research, described the initiatives as “very encouraging” and said the government was giving prostate cancer “real attention” in its first Men’s Health Strategy.
“The improvements announced today will make a meaningful difference for the thousands of men already living with the disease,” he said.
“Better and more timely access to tests and clinicians across the country, fewer unnecessary hospital visits, and more consistent monitoring will significantly improve men’s quality of life and outcomes.”
“As these digital pathways grow, we must also ensure that men with limited access to technology are supported through this transition.”
He added that while technology was playing a growing role in early diagnosis, “without a national screening programme these advances alone will not solve the challenge of catching prostate cancer too late.”
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: “The NHS is diagnosing record numbers of men with prostate cancer, so it is vital that we make doing this as easy as possible through the government’s Men’s Health Strategy.”
“By using the latest technology, we can bring prostate cancer care into the twenty-first century with home testing, virtual appointments, and remote monitoring – meaning men will be able to get world-class NHS care without needing to leave their front door.”
The wider Men’s Health Strategy aims to improve men’s physical and mental health, including earlier detection of testicular and prostate cancers, tackling heart disease and preventing suicides, which disproportionately affect men.
The NHS currently runs national screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancers, but not for prostate cancer.
