Rugby star Kenny Logan is urging medical chiefs to reconsider a decision not to introduce a nationwide screening programme for prostate cancer.

The former Scotland international was diagnosed with the disease in 2022 after a routine check which caught the cancer very early.

As a result, he was able to have his prostate removed and is currently cancer-free.

• FIFA announce controversial major changes to World Cup matches after complaints


• Mo Salah drops new cryptic response after Arne Slot shuts down explosive interview

But with prostate cancer being the most common cancer in men in the UK, Logan is frustrated by a decision taken by the UK National Screening Committee to not recommend mass screening on the NHS for the disease.

He said: “We are obviously very disappointed with the news that we had last week, it’s quite incredible that we are not going to have a national screening for prostate.

“It’s the most common cancer for men, 60,000 people are diagnosed and 12,000 people are dying each year. I find it amazing that we are not having some sort of screening where we can catch it early and save more lives.

“I don’t understand why they are not doing it.. There are a lot of high-profile people getting prostate cancer, but it’s also people with families and kids like we all have.

“Sometimes it’s too late for them because they have not been tested early and not had the opportunity. We can send texts to people about warnings and government checks. So why are we not being told to get a prostate cancer check at 45 or 50. It would make a big difference for men.

“I want them to reconsider the decision. With the way we are and the technology we have, this is a very simple thing we can do. Men can quickly check their risk using the Prostate Cancer UK risk checker, which only takes 30 seconds, and use the results of that to discuss with their GP..”

While Logan’s cancer was diagnosed early without symptoms, many are not so lucky.

Legendary Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy revealed his terminal diagnosis with prostate cancer last October.

The UK NSC’s reasoning for not introducing mass testing is that the main screening test is ‘not very reliable’, according to a report, and can lead to ‘over-diagnosis and unnecessary testing’.

However, they recommended that men aged 45 to 61 with BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations, who are more likely to develop "faster growing and aggressive cancers at an earlier age", should be offered regular testing - every two years.

Having gone through his own experience of the disease, Logan is now leading the new campaign with Johnson & Johnson called ‘Prostate Cancer: Don’t Wing It’, which encourages men to check their risk of prostate cancer, supporting earlier detection of the disease.

He said: “Having prostate cancer myself, I didn’t realise at the time how many people it affected and how it was such a silent killer for men.

“It’s the silent cancer, it’s something you can find yourself by getting tested. It’s not like some other diseases that come along and hits you and you don’t know they are coming.

“You can look at this and say ‘I’m 45 years old, one in eight men will get prostate cancer, one in four black men will get prostate cancer’.

“It’s amazing how much profile it gets but people still ignore getting checked.

“Once you get told you have got cancer, your life changes a little bit, you think a little bit differently. You think 'this is scary' but the thing that gave me so much comfort was that I’d found it early and I’d gone looking for it.

“Prostate Cancer UK risk checker is the best way to get started. After that, you will have your report and do the blood test. It’s a bit like an MOT, we don’t miss MOTs and we pay insurance every year.

“My surgeon said to me ‘if people go looking for it before it finds them, they will be fine’. If you wait for it to catch up with you, it’s a different story.”

Prostate Cancer: Don’t Wing It is a campaign led by Kenny Logan in partnership with Johnson & Johnson, to raise awareness of prostate cancer signs and symptoms and the importance of testing and early diagnosis. To check your risk visit prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker. For more information on prostate cancer visit nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer