Draft prostate cancer screening guidelines aim to shift away from discretionary testing by individual doctors and towards a more organised approach, with earlier testing using less invasive methods.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia proposals include key changes relating to earlier testing, the inclusion of additional risk factors, absolute PSA thresholds and use of MRI before biopsy in those with elevated PSA levels (see summary at the end).

They suggest testing every two years from age 40 for those at higher risk, including Indigenous people, those with a family history of prostate cancer, and those with a genetic predisposition characterised by the presence of the BRCA2 gene mutation.

For all men aged 50-69, the draft guidelines suggest screening every two years for high PSA levels.