Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron Reveals Cancer Diagnosis: ‘You Always Dread Hearing Those Words’

Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year.

In an interview with The Times published Sunday, Nov. 23, Cameron, 59, explained that he decided to get tested after his wife, Samantha, encouraged him to do so. She had heard Soho House founder Nick Jones discuss his own diagnosis on the radio, prompting her to suggest Cameron check his health as well.

Cameron underwent a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which measures levels of proteins in the blood that can be associated with prostate cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. His results came back high, leading to further investigation. He then had an MRI scan followed by a biopsy, which confirmed the cancer.

“You always hope for the best,” Cameron said. “You have a high PSA score — that’s probably nothing. You have an MRI scan with a few black marks on it. You think, ‘Ah, that’s probably OK.’ But when the biopsy comes back, and it says you have got prostate cancer… you always dread hearing those words.”

According to The Times, Cameron was treated with focal therapy, a targeted approach that destroys cancer cells in the specific area of the tumor. The Cleveland Clinic notes that focal therapy can preserve healthy tissue and often comes with fewer side effects than radiation or surgery. It is typically used when the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate and is considered low risk for spreading.

Cameron said his experience has strengthened his view that the U.K. should rethink how it detects prostate cancer. He called on the current government to introduce a targeted screening program that could identify cases earlier, when treatment is most effective — a position also supported by Prostate Cancer Research.

“I want to, as it were, come out. I want to add my name to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening [program],” he said. While acknowledging he doesn’t enjoy discussing personal health in public, he added that speaking up matters because many men delay seeking help.

“Let’s be honest. Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off,” Cameron said. “I’ve got a platform. This is something we’ve really got to think about, talk about, and if necessary, act on.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the U.K., with roughly 55,000 new cases each year, according to the BBC. The country does not currently run a nationwide screening program, in part because PSA tests can sometimes produce inaccurate results.

Cameron recognized the debate around screening, including concerns about false positives and unnecessary treatment. Still, he argued that improved medical understanding and changing circumstances mean the issue deserves a fresh look.

“I know it’s not a slam dunk,” he said. “There are respectable arguments against a screening program… But it seems to me that quite a lot of things have changed over the last few years. The circumstances are changing. The arguments are changing, and so it’s a really good moment to have another look at this.”

Cameron stepped down as prime minister and left Parliament in 2016. In 2023, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed him foreign secretary, and he later entered the House of Lords as a life peer.