Welcome to the Cancer Prevention and Screening Blog.
The Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis brings together researchers working across risk prediction, prevention, screening and early diagnosis of cancer in primary care. Our expertise spans general practice, behavioural science, clinical trials, epidemiology, gynaecological oncology, data science, biostatistics, molecular testing and applied health research.
We aim to improve cancer outcomes by translating research findings into policy and practice, helping to prevent cancer where possible and diagnose it earlier when it is most treatable.
Rethinking prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing policy: why age matters
24 July 2026
When it comes to PSA testing, more isn't always better. While testing can reduce deaths from prostate cancer, the benefits decrease and the harms increase as men get older. Dr Adam Brentnall explains why age matters, what the evidence shows, and why current NHS guidance should change.
TRANSFORM: a new era for prostate cancer screening
17 July 2026
Why don’t we screen for prostate cancer? and could we be on the verge of changing that?
Despite being the most common cancer in men in the UK, there is still no national screening programme. Previous approaches found too many cancers that would never have caused harm, leading to unnecessary tests and treatment. Now, advances in MRI and genetic risk assessment could change the future of prostate cancer screening. The TRANSFORM trial is exploring whether we can find the cancers that matter, save lives, and reduce unnecessary harm.
Seven paradoxes of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing and what they mean for screening
9 July 2026
What if a screening test could miss cancers, and that was actually a good thing? In this blog, Dr Adam Brentnall unpacks seven paradoxes of PSA testing and explores why a smarter, more targeted approach could improve prostate cancer screening and save more lives.
Zero Deaths Under 25: How HPV Vaccination Is Transforming Cervical Cancer Prevention
18 June 2026
A generation ago, eliminating cervical cancer deaths seemed unimaginable. Today, HPV vaccination is making that vision a reality. Professor Peter Sasieni explains how one of the greatest public health successes of our time is saving lives.
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Loubna Bijdiguen’s inspiring speech, “My Journey with PPI at QMUL: A Personal Reflection.”
9 June 2026
One of the highlights of our recent CCSPED Away Day was a powerful speech from PPI representative Loubna Bijdiguen. In this personal reflection, Loubna shares her journey into research involvement and why meaningful community engagement matters for early cancer detection research.
Mel Ramasawmy- Co-designing videos to explain ‘large language models’ in healthcare and research
4 November 2025
Large language models (LLMs) are a type of artificial intelligence which are being used more often in health care and research. Working with a group of PPIE contributors in Tower Hamlets, our research team co-created accessible resources to support the public to engage in LLM research and use them more safely.
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5 minutes with: Dr Oleg Blyuss
3 April 2025
Dr Oleg Blyuss is a Reader in Data Science and Statistics at the Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis. His research is around development of predictive models that use multi-omic data for the early detection of cancer. Current grants aim at the analysis of longitudinal data arising from serum biomarkers and MRI images, which allows for a personalised approach in early detection. Oleg holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Ukraine.