“It might have been caught early” — A widow’s fight for screening
Carole Silver still remembers the day in 2010 her husband, Mark, walked into the kitchen and admitted he had seen blood in the loo. They were childhood sweethearts, healthy, active, and trusting of their doctor. When they described symptoms, the first diagnosis was hemorrhoids — a common explanation — and Mark was sent home with cream and a blood test for PSA.
PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) is a blood test commonly used to flag possible prostate cancer. Mayo Clinic+1 But Mark’s level came back at 27 — far above the 3 or 4 range expected for his age. He underwent a biopsy and MRI, which confirmed he had prostate cancer already beyond containment.
A man and wife (not pictured) initially believed the former was suffering from piles, only to learn it was incurable cancer (Getty Stock Image)
Over the next years, Carole and Mark navigated treatments. He took testosterone-suppressing medication because testosterone can fuel prostate cancer. He did radiotherapy. But by 2012 his PSA crept back, and the couple turned to private specialists. Even after paying £6,000 for scans and surgery, doctors told them the cancer was incurable.
By 2019 the disease had spread into his bones, hips, even eye sockets. A week before their 48th wedding anniversary, Mark died. Carole’s grief is profound — but she’s also angry. She believes her husband’s final decade was stolen by the absence of a screening programme that might have caught the disease earlier.
The couple paid for a private scan, but a doctor informed them of the chronic diagnosis (Getty Stock Image)
Why isn’t there a national prostate cancer screening programme?
In both the UK and the U.S., there is currently no universal screening programme for prostate cancer. In the UK, for instance, GPs do not proactively invite men for PSA tests. Prostate Cancer UK+1
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Why? Because the PSA test is far from perfect. It can generate false positives (flagging disease that isn’t there) or false negatives (missing cancer). Many prostate cancers grow so slowly they would never harm a man during his lifetime — but once caught, the psychological and medical burden of treatment can be huge. Mayo Clinic+2PMC+2
In fact, trials show that one PSA screening invitation reduces prostate-cancer deaths by less than 1 per 1,000 men over 15 years. Cancer Research UK – Cancer News+1
Signs of prostate cancer include urinary changes, blood in the urine, and erectile dysfunction (Getty Stock Image)
Still, there’s hope. The TRANSFORM trial — a £42 million research project in the UK — aims to find better, targeted ways to screen for aggressive prostate cancers. Prostate Cancer UK Researchers are experimenting with improved blood, urine, or MRI tests to reduce misdiagnosis and focus only on cancers that truly threaten life. Cancer Research UK – Cancer News+2Cancer Research UK+2
One study called LIMIT PCa is exploring the use of a new MRI scan (LI-MRI) to detect disease in men before symptoms appear. Cancer Research UK
What men and families should know
- PSA alone cannot confirm prostate cancer — it’s a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Mayo Clinic+1
- If your PSA is high, doctors may recommend MRI and biopsy to verify cancer. nhs.uk+1
- If you have a strong family history (as in Carole’s sons), talk early with your GP about risks and testing options.
- Keep an eye on new trials and emerging tests — better tools may soon make screening safer and more precise.
Carole’s story is heartbreaking — but it underlines a simple truth: early detection matters. As the science evolves, the fight is to ensure more men get the right test, at the right time, before it’s too late.
