Rishi Sunak with three prostate cancer patients at the Oxford BioDynamics labs.
(From left to right: Dafydd Charles, Briane Milne, Rishi Sunak, Alfred Samuels).
Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined Prostate Cancer Research as an ambassador, to champion the charity’s campaign for the introduction of a national screening programme for high-risk men.
The announcement follows a visit made by Mr Sunak last Thursday 20 February 2025 to the labs of Oxford BioDynamics, a pioneering British cancer diagnostics company, where he met the team behind its new EpiSwitch PSE blood test.
This new test has been shown to detect prostate cancer with 94% accuracy: a significant improvement on the accuracy of the current most commonly used PSA test. At the Oxford labs Mr Sunak also met and spoke with several prostate cancer patients to hear their views on the importance of early detection and the need for a screening programme.
As a Prostate Cancer Research ambassador, Mr Sunak will be supporting the charity’s mission of advancing groundbreaking research and treatments to create a future where prostate cancer no longer impacts lives. This show of support from the former Prime Minister comes at a pivotal moment for Prostate Cancer Research, as the charity’s Proactive For Your Prostate campaign - calling for the immediate roll out of a targeted national screening programme for men at high risk, as well as investments in better diagnostic tools and AI to enable a future universal screening programme – continues to gather momentum.
Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Roughly 1 in 8 men in the UK will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with case numbers rising year on year. The PSE test is available privately across the UK through healthcare providers, including Goodbody Clinic and The London Clinic.
Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond and Northallerton, said:
"I am honoured to become an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research and support the charity’s mission to revolutionise diagnosis and treatment. Men tend to ignore pain hoping it’ll go away rather than going to see the GP and that’s a part of the reason why prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males in the UK.
"We can do something about that. It is clear from a trial that I funded when I was in office, that early detection saves lives. Catching the cancer early drastically improved survival rates, however that survival rates drop by half if it’s caught late. A targeted national screening programme will help save many lives. Remarkable technological advances have made screening for prostate cancer easier and more effective.
"I hope my work as ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research will encourage more men to be able to speak about their experience with prostate cancer and get a screening test which will hopefully prevent further needless deaths.”
Oliver Kemp, CEO of Prostate Cancer Research, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Rishi Sunak as an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research. His ongoing support for our mission to revolutionise prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment is invaluable. We urgently need screening and better, more accessible treatment options. Rishi’s advocacy will help us drive forward innovative research, challenge health inequalities, and ensure that more lives are saved.
“Oxford Biodynamics’ work on the EpiSwitch test is a prime example of the kind of groundbreaking innovation that could transform early detection and improve outcomes. By supporting research that brings real change to patients’ lives, we can create a future where a prostate cancer diagnosis is no longer something to fear.”
Iain Ross, Executive Chairman of Oxford BioDynamics, said:
“The support of Mr Sunak and PCR is a powerful testament to the importance of early, accurate prostate cancer detection through next-generation tests like the EpiSwitch PSE. This test has set a new benchmark, more than 9 out of 10 men who receive a positive PSE result will be confirmed to have prostate cancer. This can significantly cut the number of expensive and unnecessary MRI scans and invasive prostate biopsies that many healthy men currently undergo due to false positives from the standard PSA tests. The PSE, which is already available to patients in the UK and the United States, represents a significant breakthrough in prostate cancer diagnostics, and is an example of the world-class innovation emerging from the UK’s life sciences sector.”
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Prostate Cancer Research:
Jess Farmery - jessica.farmery@lexcomm.co.uk
www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk
