As the most ambitious prostate cancer screening trial in over 20 years, Prostate Cancer UK’s £42 million TRANSFORM trial is designed to test multiple ways to screen men, so we reduce the number of men dying from a disease that currently takes 12,000 lives every year.
The Garfield Weston Foundation is one of the UK’s largest charitable trusts. Founded by the Weston family in 1958, it gives money to support a wide range of charities nationwide. In total, it donates around £100 million each year.
Laura Kerby, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the Garfield Weston Foundation has become a Founding Partner of TRANSFORM through their £1m donation to Prostate Cancer UK. This trial has the potential to change the landscape for men at risk of prostate cancer in the UK and globally, for generations to come. We are honoured to be partnering with the Garfield Weston Foundation to make this a reality.”
Sophia Weston, Deputy Chair and Trustee at Garfield Weston Foundation, commented: “The Trustees are delighted to be collaborating with Prostate Cancer UK on this vital trial, bringing us closer to nationwide screening for prostate cancer.”
Led by world-leading researchers, TRANSFORM is designed to provide the definitive evidence needed to pave the way towards the best possible screening programme in the UK. It has been developed in consultation with the National Screening Committee and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The six lead researchers for the TRANSFORM trial represent four of the UK’s biggest research centres and will work alongside 16 co-applicants from across the country:
- Professor Hashim Ahmed, at Imperial College London
- Professor Ros Eeles, at the Institute of Cancer Research, London
- Professor Mark Emberton, at University College London
- Professor Rhian Gabe, at Queen Mary University of London
- Professor Rakesh Heer, at Imperial College London
- Professor Caroline Moore, at University College London
The first stage of TRANSFORM will involve around 12,500 men and will compare four potential screening options, including fast MRI scans, genetic testing to identify men at high risk of prostate cancer, and PSA blood testing. This will take around three years, after which there will be significant new evidence. In the second stage, the researchers will test the most promising option – or options – from the first stage to see how well the screening method detects cancer and reduce harms to men. This will include up to 300,000 men and take around six years, following which the men involved in the study will be followed up for at least 10 years to see the longer-term impact of screening. Men will start to be invited to take part in the TRANSFORM trial in spring 2025.
Alongside the Garfield Weston Foundation, TRANSFORM’s other Founding Partners are the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Movember, Omaze, Paddy Power and the Freddie Green and Family Charitable Foundation.