The prostate scan may distinguish the killers from the slow prostate cancers

A new scan could help tell the difference between aggressive prostate cancers and harmless slow-growing ones.

It’s hoped the technique, being developed at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey, will save thousands of men from unnecessary biopsies.

It uses a form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify which tumours are potential killers and which are best left alone.

Initial tests on 80 men suggest the scan is highly accurate in distinguishing between the two.