Rome, June 10 (LaPresse) – In Italy, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, with around 41,000 new cases each year. Despite its high incidence, unlike other cancers such as breast, colorectal and cervical cancer, there is still no organised national screening programme. To address this need, PROscreenMRI has been launched, a pilot study promoted by the Candiolo Cancer Institute IRCCS, the Centre for Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention in Piedmont, and the AOU San Luigi Gonzaga in collaboration with ASL TO5, aimed at evaluating a new model of early diagnosis that is more effective, appropriate and sustainable. The study, funded by the Piedmont Foundation for Cancer Research through the 5×1000 and by the Ministry of Health, involves men aged between 55 and 65 living in the ASL TO5 area. Selected citizens were contacted by the Screening Evaluation and Organisation Unit of ASL TO5 and invited to undergo PSA testing and, if values exceeded reference thresholds, were automatically referred for further diagnostic tests through a pathway integrating multiparametric MRI and risk calculators at the Candiolo Cancer Institute IRCCS. Preliminary data collected between February 2025 and March 2026 confirm the effectiveness of the new approach. Out of more than 11,000 men invited for screening, the protocol allowed for more accurate selection of patients to undergo invasive procedures. In particular, among the 146 participants who completed the full diagnostic pathway, 63% were directed to simple follow-up, avoiding biopsies that would have been performed under traditional PSA-based protocols. At the same time, the system demonstrated high accuracy in identifying clinically significant cancers.
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