Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in Europe, and momentum is growing behind organised screening programmes that use prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing alongside risk stratification and MRI to improve the balance between benefits and harms. However, introducing a screening programme requires more than clinical expertise. Health systems must also have the infrastructure, data systems, quality assurance mechanisms, and follow-up pathways needed to support effective implementation. In this episode, Dr Arunah Chandran joins eClinicalMedicine Senior Editor Sundus Ahmad to discuss a new study from the PRAISE-U (PRostate cancer Awareness and Initiative for Screening in the European Union) project. Drawing on readiness assessments across five pilot sites in Lithuania, Poland, Spain, and Ireland, the study evaluates whether health systems are prepared to deliver organised, risk-stratified prostate cancer screening. Together, they explore why strong clinical capacity alone may not be enough, highlighting gaps in invitation systems, counselling, quality assurance, data management, and long-term follow-up. This conversation examines what is needed to move from opportunistic testing to population-based screening and what lessons these findings offer for the future of prostate cancer early detection in Europe.

Click here to read the full papers:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00601-1/fulltext

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(26)00346-9/fulltext