TRANSFORM national prostate cancer screening trial

TRANSFORM is designed to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, so one day, all men at risk are invited for regular tests to find aggressive cancers in time for a cure.

It will revolutionise diagnosis by testing the most promising screening techniques available, including PSA blood tests, genetic tests and fast MRI scans, combined in ways that have never before been tested in a large-scale screening trial.

TRANSFORM will compare multiple screening options to each other, and the current system, to find the safest, most accurate and most cost-effective way to screen men for prostate cancer.

What exactly will be tested in the trial?

In stage one, involving around 16,000 men, researchers will compare four potential screening options, including fast MRI scans, genetic testing to identify men at high risk of prostate cancer, and PSA blood testing.

These approaches will also be compared to a control group, where men will follow the current NHS process – in other words, they won’t be offered a PSA test, but can request one. A control group is vital to prove that any screening programme is more effective than the current process.

Who will be able to take part?

Invitation letters are being sent to selected men aged 45 to 74. Men cannot volunteer if they have not received an invite.

If you're invited, you'll receive more details about the study and can decide if you'd like to take part. The invitation will come from your GP practice on behalf of Imperial College London. If you choose to take part, you'll be asked to give your consent.

It’s crucial that the study fully reflects the UK population, so invitations will be carefully controlled and it won’t be possible to volunteer. However, if you do receive a letter from your GP about the TRANSFORM study then we strongly encourage you to take part.

Thanks to additional Government investment of up to £18 million announced in June 2026, all eligible Black men (those aged 45-74 who have not had a recent PSA blood test) will be invited to take part in the study.

To find out more - TRANSFORM Trial