Gabriel Sam-Yorke, 66, a cab driver from Fulham, was the first man to sign up. “I’ve lost friends to it, and it’s something too many men still don’t talk about,” he said. His reason for joining a new London study was simple: as a Black man, he knows his own risk is higher.
The study is called BEYOND-PSA. Prostate Cancer Research and Nuffield Health announced it on 10 September 2026, and they describe it as the first of its kind in the UK. It will test whether a blood test called Stockholm3 can work inside a regular clinical pathway. Up to 10,000 men are expected to contribute data.
How the study works
It begins alongside a clinical service at Nuffield Health Barbican Medical Centre. Where it is clinically indicated, participants are referred for an MRI scan through the NHS or their private medical insurance. Men who cannot be referred either way are offered a funded scan at Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital.
The study is open to men aged 45 to 74 who have never had a prostate cancer diagnosis, are registered with an NHS GP surgery and can reach the London sites. The test costs a subsidised £99 through Nuffield Health’s enhanced screening programme. The charity has also set up a limited philanthropic fund to help men from underserved communities. Funding for the study itself came from a corporate partner, the Information Security Forum.
Why the PSA test falls short
The standard PSA test is a common first screen, but it can be thrown off by lifestyle, miss aggressive cancers, or return high results for conditions that are not cancer. That can mean needless anxiety and unnecessary procedures. Stockholm3 combines protein biomarkers with genetic markers and clinical data to build a risk profile.
European research on more than 12,000 men aged 50 to 74 found the test identified up to 90 per cent of clinically significant cancers. Standard screening caught 42 per cent. The test was also used in the diagnosis of Jeremy Clarkson’s prostate cancer in 2025.
The stakes are clear in the survival figures. Prostate cancer causes about 12,200 deaths a year in UK men and is the second most common cause of cancer death among them. One-year survival is around 100 per cent when it is caught in stages 1, 2 or 3, and 87.6 per cent at stage 4. At five years, survival for stage 4 metastatic disease falls to 50 per cent, against 100 per cent in stages 1 and 2 and 95 per cent in stage 3.
What the organisers said
Dr Jayne Spink, the chief investigator, said: “Men cannot benefit from innovation that sits on a shelf.” She noted that prostate cancer accounts for 14 per cent of male cancer deaths in the UK, rising to 22 per cent among Black men.
Rishi Sunak, an ambassador for Prostate Cancer Research, said: “Too many men put off getting checked. But prostate cancer is most treatable when it is found early and without symptoms.” Dr Unnati Desai of Nuffield Health said the aim is to let men reach advanced testing for a nominal cost while staying connected to NHS pathways if more investigation is needed.
Early detection gives men the best chance, and this study should show how much a better test can help. Men worried about their own risk, especially those with a family history or Black men, should talk to their doctor about testing. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
