Experts call for prostate cancer screening in Austria

Experts are calling for a prostate cancer screening programme in Austria, saying early detection is especially important because the disease causes no symptoms in its initial stages, ORF Wien reported. Martina Löwe of the Austrian Cancer Aid said a programme that invited men for examinations would be “an enormous step forward”.

Men are generally less likely to seek preventive care and often visit a doctor only when they have noticeable symptoms, Löwe said. One in eight men in Austria develops prostate cancer, making prevention from age 50 important, she added.

According to Löwe, the PSA value is currently the only measure used to assess prostate cancer risk. The prostate-specific antigen is a protein produced mainly in the prostate that can be measured in the blood. The PSA test requires a blood sample; the result helps assess a person’s risk. The interval between tests depends on the result and may be three or five years, or shorter if the value is elevated. Löwe said a rectal examination, once standard, no longer has a role in early detection.

November has been known as “Movember” for 22 years, with campaigns aimed at encouraging men to take more care of their health and attend preventive examinations. Austria’s healthy life expectancy for men is 62.7 years, according to Statistics Austria, below the statutory retirement age.

Löwe said screening programmes face the challenge of reaching people who are less focused on their health, including those with lower social status or less education. She noted that 40 percent of eligible people use the breast cancer screening programme, which has been in place for 12 years.

Calls are also growing for a lung cancer early-detection programme. People over 50 who have smoked heavily or still smoke should discuss their individual risk with a lung specialist, the report said. Austria still has ground to make up internationally on both lung and prostate cancer prevention, Löwe said.

About 409,000 people in Austria had cancer at the start of 2025, and the number is steadily increasing. The earlier cancer is detected, the better the chances of successful treatment and recovery, the report said.