An inquiry accused Nestlé and French officials of hiding the company’s practice of filtering Perrier water it labels “natural.” The head of Nestlé has suggested that human activity is making pure water scarcer.For more than 120 years, the French brand Perrier has produced some of the world’s most recognizable sparkling mineral water, its teardrop-shaped green bottles and light, fizzy bubbles synonymous with European refinement and good taste.Recently, however, the brand has found itself embroiled in a decidedly inelegant scandal involving food and drink regulations, the definition of “natural” water and, this week, accusations of a cover-up that reached the upper levels of the French government.At the heart of the issue is the marketing of Perrier as “natural mineral water,” a term whose use is strictly regulated by France and the European Union.French regulators and independent consumer watchdogs have accused Nestlé Waters, Perrier’s French parent company, of using filters and ultraviolet sterilizers for years to treat the water it bottles from wells in Provence. The methods ran afoul of French and E.U. regulations, they said, and altered the water to the point that it could no longer be labeled “natural.”This month, officials in the Gard region of southern France, where Perrier’s water is sourced, ordered the company to remove its water filters within two months while authorities decide whether to demand that Perrier change its labeling. The dispute widened this week when the French Senate released the findings of an investigation that found Nestlé had concealed its treatment of Perrier and other brands of bottled water with the help of the French government, which the report accused of covering up “illegal practices.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

18 minutes agoShareSaveRob SissonsBBC News, NottinghamDan MartinBBC News, East MidlandsShareSaveBBCA new test has been developed that reduces the time it takes to diagnose types of brain tumours from weeks to just hours, researchers say.Surgeons have described the “ultra-rapid” method of genetic testing as a “game changer” and say it could improve care and treatment for thousands of patients.The method has been developed by scientists at the University of Nottingham in partnership with clinicians at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).The research has attracted interest from across the UK, with other NHS hospitals setting up their own testing alongside their existing regimes to gather more evidence about its effectiveness. A study published on Wednesday reveals the method has already been used in 50 operations at NUH and has had a 100% success rate in diagnosing the exact type of tumour.There are currently more than 100 identified types of brain tumour, and clinicians need to identify which kind a patient has to determine the most effective way to treat them.Charles TriggTraditionally, samples of tumours are extracted during surgery to be taken away, tested, and examined under a microscope in a pathology lab.While the process is mostly accurate, it can take up to eight weeks to definitively diagnose the type of tumour.Stuart Smith, NUH consultant neurosurgeon, said: “Sometimes once we do get the full diagnosis back from the laboratory, we realise it’s a type of tumour that would really benefit from what we call more radical surgery to remove every last piece of tumour, if that hasn’t been done at the first operation.”Sadly, sometimes that does mean a patient has to undergo a second, or sometimes even a third operation, to ensure that all the tumour that can be surgically removed has been.”However, the new technique has seen results returned in as little as 90 minutes, and Mr Smith said it was possible to get a diagnosis while a patient was still in the operating theatre for their original procedure.It means surgeons would be able to perform more radical surgery, if needed, at the time. Mr Smith also said faster classification could allow patients to get radiation treatment or chemotherapy, more quickly, and that the quicker diagnoses often reduced the anxiety patients felt while waiting for test results.”It is a game changer,” he added.Prof Matt Loose, a biologist at the University of Nottingham’s School of Life Sciences, developed the new method using software dubbed ROBIN.Using nanopore genetic sequencing, he said, scientists are able to choose which parts of the DNA to look at in detail, delivering a faster result.He said: “Sadly most brain tumours are incredibly aggressive and waiting six to eight weeks, or however long, for every subsequent test may be too long for that patient.”Now we can get the results within hours and that can happen within an operation while a patient is still in theatre.” Gemma’s daughter Nancy was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged just one in 2023.The now two-year-old had two brain surgeries, then high-dose chemotherapy treatment to prevent the cancer from coming back.Gemma, from Castle Donington in Leicestershire, said: “From Nancy’s first surgery to finding out what that tumour was, it was two weeks, and that was two weeks of pure hell and anxiety.”But to have it done that quick it could have saved her that extra brain surgery.”Nancy is now in remission and has become the face of a national TV advert for Young Lives vs Cancer, a charity that supported the family during her treatment.Charles Trigg, who lives near Market Harborough in Leicestershire, was diagnosed with a stage four aggressive glioblastoma tumour in April.He was told his tumour was the size of a golf ball.The 45-year-old, who has been treated by Mr Smith, said: “To have knowledge is power and it could be the worst knowledge you have, but it gives you certainty, and having that certainty actually makes life a hell of a lot easier.”The fact they’ve been able to get back data very quickly that allows an extensive team of people to conduct detailed reviews feels like an amazing blend of science and medicine.”The pace is phenomenal, and it gives you that certainty and clarity, regardless of whether you like the information, I can’t change the information, but what I can do, is take the information I’ve been given early – and absorb it, feel it and start to plan for the next stage.”Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, according to The Brain Tumour Charity.Dr Simon Newman, the charity’s chief scientific officer, said: “The delivery of an accurate diagnosis within hours of surgery will be transformative for all patients ensuring rapid access to the optimal standard of care and – crucially – removing the uncertainty patients face when having to wait weeks for their diagnosis and prognosis.”Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, and Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and Kings College Hospital in London, are among those now setting up their own testing of the method alongside their existing processes.More on this storyRelated internet links

30 minutes agoShareSaveHazel ShearingShareSaveGetty ImagesUniversities in England have been told to step up efforts to prevent student suicides, in a review commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE).A report, which has been in the works for nearly two years, says they should assess the safety of student halls and involve families more after a student has died.Its recommendations, which are the first to ever be issued to university leaders by any UK government, include discouraging the laying of flowers where a student has died if it could draw attention to a “suicide location”.The family of Natasha Abrahart, who took her own life in 2018 while at the University of Bristol, called the review “superficial”.The national review of higher education student suicide deaths, first seen by BBC News, examined 169 cases of suicide and serious self-harm reported by 73 universities in 2023-24.It found almost a quarter of incidents, where the location was known, took place in university-managed accommodation, and that families had mostly been excluded from serious incident review processes.It said there was a particular risk of “suicide clusters”, which Public Health England describes as “a situation in which more suicides than expected occur in terms of time, place, or both”.In a series of 19 recommendations, it asked universities to:Conduct safety checks of university halls and any area where a student has died Consider discouraging people from placing tributes in that area “to avoid drawing attention to the site as a suicide location”Better support students who are struggling academicallyImprove transparency and make families’ input a “key part” of investigation processesUniversities have also been asked to review access to their mental health services.Vika Zak, who studies animation at Nottingham Trent University, told the BBC she felt staff were there for her when she reached out for support.BBC / Hazel Shearing”They emailed me, and I’m pretty sure they sent me a letter, to let me know there are services that I could take advantage of if I needed it. It’s really nice to know that.”Sam Lloyd, a product design student, said the university sent out “quite a few” emails letting students know about support services.”If you really need it, it’s very easy to reach out,” he said.But the review said that access to mental health support “could be improved” across the sector in terms of “awareness, signposting, and reviewing the needs of specific groups” like international students.”While some reports identified a need for support services to ensure active follow-up following contact, many placed the responsibility on the student to seek further help,” it said.BBC / Hazel ShearingIf you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.Bob and Maggie Abrahart, whose daughter Natasha took her own life while she was studying at the University of Bristol in 2018, called the review “superficial”.”There’s no obligation to do what it says on the tin,” Mr Abrahart told the BBC.”For ministers to say ‘we expect them to do their duty, to do things properly’ is just pie in the sky.”He added that universities had been given “shelves of recommendations” before, including guidance issued by Universities UK (UUK) to its 141 members.Mrs Abrahart said universities should have a legal duty of care, which would require all universities to act with reasonable care and skill so as to avoid causing harm to students.”It’s doing your job carefully,” she said. “What is unclear is what is academics’ job, and what isn’t.”The DfE announced the review in 2023, commissioning academics from the University of Manchester, who are part of its National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health, to conduct it independently.Asked why a legal duty of care had not been introduced, skills minister Jacqui Smith said there were “some legal challenges”.”We do think that universities have a general duty of care to their students,” she said.”We’ll be absolutely clear with universities that this is their responsibility. We’ve made resource available and we will continue to challenge them to deliver that.”BBC / Hazel ShearingThe review comes at a time of increasing pressure on universities’ finances. The Office for Students (OfS) said this month that more than four in 10 universities in England are expecting to be in a financial deficit by this summer.Prof Sir Steve West, vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England and a UUK board member, said universities needed to work out how to implement the recommendations “effectively” and how to “prioritise”.”That’s easy to say [but] very difficult to do because there are all sorts of issues hitting universities at the moment which often compete, and we have to make choices,” he said.He added that there should be more discussions on how to enforce standards across the sector, including whether universities should have to file reports on their progress to regulators.The DfE is due to meet with university leaders to discuss the findings of the review this week.Additional reporting by Andrew Rogers, BBC Newsbeat.

11 minutes agoShareSaveAndrew Rogers & James GallagherBBC NewsShareSaveBBCEngland will be the first country in the world to start vaccinating people against the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea.It will not be available for everyone. The focus will mainly be on gay and bisexual men with a history of multiple sexual partners or an STI.The vaccine is 30-40% effective, but NHS England hopes it will reverse soaring numbers of infections.There were more than 85,000 cases in 2023 – the highest since records began in 1918.Gonorrhoea does not always have symptoms, but they can include pain, unusual discharge, inflammation of the genitals and infertility.How many people will chose to be immunised is uncertain.But projections by Imperial College London show that if the jab proves popular then it could prevent 100,000 cases and save the NHS nearly £8m over the next decade.Max, a sexual health campaigner, told BBC Newsbeat he would “100%” take the vaccine after being diagnosed with gonorrhoea twice within a year.”I think this is great that it’s been announced”, he says, adding: “It’s going to take the pressure off the clinics, it’s just a big win all round.”Vaccination will start in August and will be offered through sexual health services.Public Health Scotland said it was also working on plans to launch its own programme for high-risk individuals.BBC Newsbeat has asked health bodies in Wales and Northern Ireland whether they intend to do the same.Is it effective enough?This vaccine wasn’t designed for gonorrhoea. It’s the meningitis B vaccine currently given to babies.But the bacteria that cause the two diseases are so closely related that the MenB jab appears to cut gonorrhoea cases by around a third.That will require a delicate conversation in sexual health clinics as the vaccine will not eliminate the risk of catching gonorrhoea. It is normally caught while having sex without a condom.But Prof Andrew Pollard, the chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which recommended the vaccine, said despite it only being 30% effective, it was “worth having” and could have “a huge impact” overall.The decision is not just about the record numbers of cases. Gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly difficult to treat.Most cases are treated with a single dose of antibiotics, but there is an 80-year history of the bacterium which causes gonorrhoea repeatedly evolving resistance to our antibiotics.It’s happening to the current treatments too and is why some doctors are concerned gonorrhoea could one-day become untreatable.The best way to deal with a drug-resistant infection is to never catch it in the first place.Dr Amanda Doyle, from NHS England, said: “The launch of a world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea is a huge step forward for sexual health and will be crucial in protecting individuals, helping to prevent the spread of infection and reduce the rising rates of antibiotic resistant strains of the bacteria.”The people most affected by gonorrhoea in the UK are those aged 16-to-25, gay and bisexual men, and those of black and Caribbean ancestry.The vaccine – which costs around £8 per dose – is value for money when primarily offered to gay and bisexual men, rather than all teenagers.However, clinicians do have the freedom to use their own judgement and offer the vaccine to people using sexual health services they think are of equally high risk.People will be offered mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), HPV and hepatitis vaccines at the same time.Prof Matt Phillips, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, said: “This is excellent news and a landmark moment for sexual health in England.”Gonorrhoea diagnoses are at their highest since records began and this has the potential to help us to turn that around.”It is not known how long the protection provided by the vaccine will last or how often booster jabs might be required.The decision comes almost a year and a half after a vaccination programme was recommended by the UK’s JCVI.Sexual health campaigners had criticised that long wait, but have welcomed this decision.Katie Clark, head of policy and advocacy at the Terrance Higgins Trust, called it a “huge win”.Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.

Early on a Saturday morning in Minnesota, a group of teenagers gathered at the edge of six acres of wooded, hilly land. Most were quiet, some blinking against the sun. They were robotics enthusiasts, aspiring marine scientists, artists, athletes and Scouts.What they shared was a desire for hands-on conservation work, a meaningful response for many of them to their worries about climate change.“Cool,” said Sophia Peterson, the group’s 18-year-old leader, who faced the crowd with a grin. “Let’s get started.”50 States, 50 Fixes is a series about local solutions to environmental problems. More to come this year.The students were organized by the Green Crew, an environmental group founded by a teenager in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area. The organization seeks to help a generation that has grown up under the threat of climate change channel their fears into concrete action.Tell Us About Solutions Where You Live

Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s office pushed back on speculation that there had been a coverup around the illness.Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer before last week, his spokesman said on Tuesday, pushing back against speculation that there had been some sort of coverup around the illness.The spokesman, Chris Meagher, also said Mr. Biden’s last-known prostate-specific antigen test, the most common way to screen for prostate cancer, was in 2014. Mr. Biden would have been 71 or 72 years old at the time.The new details help provide some clarity about Mr. Biden’s health records, but they still do not directly give an answer on why Mr. Biden was not regularly screened for prostate cancer throughout his presidency.Mr. Meagher did not respond to that question, and Kevin O’Connor, Mr. Biden’s doctor in the White House, did not respond to inquiries. But allies of Mr. Biden, 82, and medical experts point to guidelines that advise against P.S.A. screening for men over the age of 70. The guidelines vary slightly across different medical organizations, but doctors generally agree that men of an advanced age should not automatically be screened for prostate cancer.But Mr. Biden was not just the average American man, and his diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer has raised the question: Should the oldest president in American history have gone beyond those guidelines? Mr. Biden, until July, was also running for a second term in office, and had he won, he would have been 86 at the end of his second term.Some men over 70 do choose to have the test despite the guidelines. President Trump, 78, has been regularly screened for prostate cancer, according to his medical records from the last decade. Mr. Trump’s medical report from his physical last month showed his P.S.A. level was normal.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

1 hour agoShareSaveShareSaveHayley JarvisBBC Scotland NewsJohnpaul began using nicotine pouches to help him get off vapes – but says it just led to another addiction.At one stage he was using 15 pouches a day, although the 16-year-old has now cut back to five.Health experts say the pouches – small sachets that fit between the top lip and the gum, nicknamed “snus” by some teenagers – are addictive and may have other harmful side effects.They are largely unregulated in the UK and there is currently no law to stop children buying them.Some campaigners fear that the ban on disposable vapes which comes into effect on 1 June could see more young people turning to the stronger nicotine pouches.Johnpaul started using the pouches as a coping mechanism, and to help him get off vapes.”It just led to another addiction,” he said. “It’s just an instant hit. It makes me forget my surroundings.”I’m not going to say I don’t enjoy that, I do, but there are still a lot more negatives to it than there are positives.”Johnpaul is working with other young people to raise awareness about nicotine pouches as part of a project with the charity Fast Forward and the Skills Training Programme at West Lothian Council.While packs contain age restriction warnings, Johnpaul says he has no problem buying them.”At the moment, I really don’t want to stop, but I definitely want to cut down and cut down the amount of milligrams I’m taking.”Just keep it as low as I can, so it’ll be a lot easier to quit when I feel that I’m ready to.”Lee, 16, says he and most of his friends use nicotine pouches – although he wishes he had never started.”Most times people wouldn’t know because it’s tucked away in your gum and sometimes you can push it up so people really can’t see it,” he said.”I’ve tried to stop before, but it’s something you can get highly addicted to, which is quite a bad thing.”If I could go back and not start, I would.”Aleksandra, 16, has tried nicotine pouches, but says they’re not for her.”It was fine for the first five minutes and after you swallow your spit it doesn’t taste good.”It burns and it makes you feel sick. It wasn’t great.”She says the products are marketed towards young people on social media and given away at railway stations, where they can easily be given to teenagers who look older.Getty ImagesLeigh Ronald from Fast Forward, which offers health and wellbeing support, says young people are increasingly talking about pouches and looking to find out more information.She says it is likely that they will look for alternatives, like nicotine pouches, when the ban on disposable vapes comes into effect across the UK on 1 June.Most pouches contain six to 20 milligrams (mg) of nicotine, while some contain 50mg – about five times stronger than an average cigarette.The pouches are often referred to as snus, although that is a different product which contains tobacco and has been banned in the UK and EU since 1992.The general use of nicotine pouches remains low in Great Britain.Research suggests that about 5% of adults and 3% of under-18s have tried them – but use appears to be increasing and is higher in some groups, particularly young men.One popular brand reported a 121% increase in sales in 2023.Retailers approached by BBC Scotland said they did not sell nicotine pouches to under-18s.Alan McLevy is head of manufacturing at VPZ, which sells vapes, pouches and other nicotine products.He says his firm operates a Challenge 25 policy and that its aim is to help people quit smoking.He said: “If you’ve not smoked before, if you’ve not vaped before, there’s absolutely no need to buy a pouch. None whatsoever.”It’s a harm reduction technique and it’s for current smokers to find a way to stop using combustible cigarettes.”Dr Richard Holliday, senior lecturer at the School of Dental Sciences at Newcastle University, says nicotine pouches are less harmful than cigarettes – but not risk free.His team recently published an article on nicotine pouches in the British Dental Journal that was downloaded more than 250,000 times.It says more research is needed and that there may be an impact on oral health – such as gum recession.”The paper has obviously touched a nerve. I think a lot of people are looking for information on this topic,” he says.Dr Zoe Coyle, a lecturer at the Dental Institute in Edinburgh, also warned that repeated use of nicotine pouches can lead to gum recession and other issues with teeth and lips.”I would be concerned particularly about young people using nicotine pouches,” she says.Ash ScotlandSheila Duffy, chief executive of anti-smoking charity Ash Scotland, says teachers have raised concerns about the pouches, which retail at “pocket money prices”.”It’s very fast absorbed, it can easily be twice the level of nicotine in nicotine replacement therapy. So this is very highly addictive,” she said.”Addiction to nicotine in any form opens you up to the whole profile of products – industry knows this.”So a kid that starts using nicotine pouches, which are easily concealed, which may be highly flavoured and attractive because they’ve been pushed through social media, that child is much more at risk of ending up as a smoker.”UK-wide legislation is being proposed to ban the sale of nicotine products – including pouches – to under-18s.The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would also stop free distribution and give ministers the power to regulate the flavours, packaging and display of all vapes and other nicotine products.Ash Scotland say it is a step in the right direction, but fears that the introduction of new regulations will take too long.

Nearly 100 neurology experts collaborated on the creation of a new method of evaluating patients with traumatic brain injuries.Dr. Geoffrey Manley, a neurosurgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, wants the medical establishment to change the way it deals with brain injuries. His work is motivated in part by what happened to a police officer he treated in 2002, just after completing his medical training.The man arrived at the emergency room unconscious, in a coma. He had been in a terrible car crash while pursuing a criminal.Two days later, Dr. Manley’s mentor said it was time to tell the man’s family there was no hope. His life support should be withdrawn. He should be allowed to die.Dr. Manley resisted. The patient’s brain oxygen levels were encouraging. Seven days later the policeman was still in a coma. Dr. Manley’s mentor again pressed him to talk to the man’s family about withdrawing life support. Again, Dr. Manley resisted.Ten days after the accident, the policeman began to come out of his coma. Three years later he was back at work and was named San Francisco Police Officer of the Month. In 2010, he was Police Officer of the Year“That case, and another like it,” Dr. Manley said, “changed my practice.”But little has changed in the world of traumatic brain injuries since Dr. Manley’s patient woke up. Assessments of who will recover and how severely patients are injured are pretty much the same, which results in patients being told they “just” have a concussion, who then have trouble getting care for recurring symptoms like memory lapses or headaches. And it results in some patients in the position of that policemen, who have their life support withdrawn when they might have recovered.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Compensation for infected blood victims needs to be delivered faster, campaigners have said on the first anniversary of a public inquiry report into what has been described as the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.”We are dying at pace, the government needs to be working at pace, not just talking about it,” one campaigner said on Tuesday as a letter calling for action was handed in to the prime minister.Diana Johnson, a minister who for years as a Labour MP supported victims of the scandal, said it was “disappointing” to hear how slow process had been.But Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas Symonds said the government was “committed to delivering compensation as swiftly as possible”.More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV or hepatitis C or both after being given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. Around 3,000 people have died.In his final report released one year ago, inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff said the scandal had been largely avoidable and involved systemic failings.Campaigners had expected rapid compensation, but so far only 100 people have received payouts. They gathered at Westminster on Tuesday to hand in a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, stating their concern at the lack of progress. “Twelve months on from the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s devastating report, there remains deep concern from the contaminated blood community that politics is continuing to fail them,” the letter said.”As the Infected Blood Inquiry heard when it reconvened hearings on 7 May 2025, the community’s voice was absent when the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme was drawn up. The resulting scheme contains fundamental flaws, which could and would have been foreseen.”Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Diana Johnson MP, who is now a Home Office Minister, told BBC News that she appreciated the concerns of campaigners and sympathised with their argument.”It’s disappointing to hear just how slow the process is though, and I fully appreciate the concerns that so many people who are gathered today are making about wanting to get those payments out to people,” she said.”We know on average someone dies every couple of weeks, so this has to be paid. But the money is there.”When asked whether she could use her position as minister to make their case she said she was speaking to the BBC as a constituency MP.Jacqueline Wrixton, who was infected with hepatitis C as the result of a blood transfusion, said: “It’s been a year since the euphoria of the recommendations, and yet, as an infected person… the statistics that roughly two a week are dying, we’ve still not got payment.”We are dying at pace, the government needs to be working at pace, not just talking about it. We need to see the actions.”Cabinet Office minister Thomas–Symonds said: “The victims of this scandal have suffered unspeakably.”After decades of delay, it has fallen to this government to act. We are acting on the inquiry’s 12 recommendations, so that this never happens again, and to get justice for victims.”While no amount of compensation will make up for the suffering people have endured, we are committed to delivering compensation as swiftly as possible.”

Guidelines advise no screening after age 70, and doctors say that even men who test diligently may develop an aggressive cancer after none was found at a recent checkup.Some Americans say they don’t understand how former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. could have only recently learned that he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones. How could the former commander in chief, a man with access to high-quality medical care, not have known earlier that he had such a serious condition?Mr. Biden, 82, has not disclosed details about when the cancer was discovered, or whether he had been regularly examined for prostate cancer. It may be that he had not been screened. Guidelines from professional organizations that advise doctors and public health officials recommend against screening for men over age 70.But many men, in consultation with their doctors, continue screening into their 70s, which is not unreasonable if the man is healthy and has a life expectancy of at least 10 years, said Dr. Scott Eggener, a prostate cancer specialist at the University of Chicago.Prostate cancer experts also say, though, that even if Mr. Biden had been screened regularly, it’s entirely possible the cancer was not detected till recently. They said that some men suddenly find out they have advanced prostate cancer even after being screened regularly year after year and told they have a clean bill of health.It is unusual, but it does happen.“I have an entire collection of what I call rocket PSAs,” said Dr. Ian Thompson, a prostate cancer specialist at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. These are men, he said, who are screened year after year with the PSA, a blood test that can pick up signs of prostate cancer. Year after year, their PSA is very low. Then, suddenly, it soars.He also sees men with advanced prostate cancer who have normal results on their PSA screening tests.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.