Call for comments on evidence for bladder cancer population screening in the UK

On November 17, 2025, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers and the NHS in all four UK nations on matters related to population screening, launched a consultation on an evidence review relating to bladder cancer screening.

Bladder cancer screening is not currently recommended in the UK. Previous evidence reviews in 2015 and 2020 concluded that there is no safe, precise, and valid test suitable for population screening. The 2025 evidence map reached similar conclusions, identifying no sufficient new evidence to support a change in recommendations.

Key conclusions from the 2025 evidence map include:

• No further evidence synthesis work on population screening for bladder cancer should be commissioned at this time.
• The volume of evidence relevant to screening asymptomatic populations remains insufficient, as most available studies did not include appropriate populations.
• The topic should be reconsidered by the UK NSC in three years.
• Some biomarkers (mainly microRNAs) may have potential for confirming or ruling out suspected bladder cancer cases, but evidence is inadequate to support their use in a population screening programme;
• Five updated international guidelines, three additional guidelines, and two guideline overviews were identified, but none recommend screening asymptomatic adults for bladder cancer.

The UK NSC is inviting stakeholder organizations and the public to comment on the findings and conclusions of the 2025 evidence map. The consultation is open until 9 February 2026.

See the full details here and here.

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