Prostate cancer patients will be offered video calls with consultants and DIY home blood tests under NHS plans to find and treat tumours earlier.
The Government’s Men’s Health Strategy will detail measures aimed at slashing avoidable deaths from the disease when it is published this week.
Ministers want to make it easier for men to access care without needing to take time off work to attend in-person consultations or blood clinics.
They hope it will allow doctors to catch prostate cancer in its early stages when it is easier and cheaper to treat and survival rates are higher.
Charities last night described the initiatives as ‘very encouraging’ and said the changes will make a ‘meaningful difference’ to thousands of men.
Men who have been treated for prostate cancer or are having their disease actively monitored will be able to order regular PSA blood tests through the NHS App for delivery to their home.
These can be taken and returned at their own convenience, fitting the checks around work, social and family commitments.
Medics will analyse samples for an increase in hormone levels that may indicate the cancer is growing or has come back.
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate deaths
The NHS App will also be improved to allow prostate cancer patients to message a specialist for advice or book appointments if they have any concerns or need follow-up treatment.
If consultations are done remotely, patients may be seen by doctors anywhere in the country, helping to speed up access by spreading the workload to areas with shorter waiting lists.
Men who are yet to be diagnosed with prostate cancer but are found to have raised PSA levels after taking a blood test will also be able to access video consultations, potentially accelerating their diagnosis and treatment.
Meanwhile, the NHS will pilot the use of AI to detect clinically significant prostate cancer in MRI scans to help ease pressure on radiologists.
It comes as the Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate cancer deaths and for a national prostate cancer screening programme, initially for high risk men.
The UK National Screening Committee, which advises the government on which screening programmes to offer, is currently considering recent developments around prostate cancer diagnosis and is due to report its findings later this year.
A major study last month found screening men for prostate cancer slashes their risk of dying from the disease by 13 per cent, with one such death prevented for every 456 men checked.
Health secretary Wes Streeting told the Daily Mail: ‘Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care
‘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.’
David James, director of patient projects and influencing at Prostate Cancer Research, said: ‘It is very encouraging to see the Government giving prostate cancer real attention in the first ever Men’s Health Strategy.
‘The improvements announced today will make a meaningful difference for the thousands of men already living with the disease.
‘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.
‘On early diagnosis, it is positive to see technology playing a growing role, from AI-assisted MRI to virtual pathways, but without a national screening programme these advances alone will not solve the challenge of catching prostate cancer too late.
David James, director of patient projects and influencing at Prostate Cancer Research
‘The strategy is a welcome step, but further action will be needed to ensure more men are diagnosed early, when survival rates are at their highest.’
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 is being published to tackle poor outcomes in men’s physical and mental health.
Government plans include catching testicular and prostate cancer earlier, tackling heart disease and preventing suicides, which disproportionately affect men.
The NHS already offers national screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancers.
