PROSTATE cancer is one of the biggest killers of men in the UK, with one dying from the disease every 45 minutes.
And it’s thought that one in eight men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime.
5
5
5
5
Sir Chris Hoy, 48, recently revealed that he he has just four years to live after being diagnosed with the cancer.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist first announced in February that he was being “treated for cancer”.
Sir Chris made his diagnosis public this month, sharing that the cancer had spread from his prostate to his bones – including his shoulder, pelvis, ribs, and spine.
Heartbreakingly, Sir Chris’ wife Sarra was told she had incurable and degenerative MS just weeks before his cancer news.
Read more on prostate cancer
The prostate is walnut-sized gland that sits under the bladder and surrounds the urethra.
Its job is so help make semen and it grows bigger as you get older.
Prostate cancer can develop when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average – making it the most common form of cancer in men – and 12,000 Brits die from the disease.
Despite being the third deadliest form of cancer, prostate can be beaten if it’s caught early.
In most cases, prostate cancer doesn’t have symptoms in the early stages.
But some men are more at risk of the disease, including those over the age 50 and people with a family history of cancer.
You can find your chance of developing the disease using Prostate Cancer UK’s risk checker here.
Symptoms only usually emerge when the growth is big enough to put pressure on the urethra – the tube you pee through – according to NHS.
Common early symptoms of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer that’s contained inside the prostate doesn’t usually cause any symptoms, which is why it’s important to know about your risk of developing the disease.
But some men might have start experiencing urinary problems that start off mild and and develop over many years.
They may be a sign of a benign prostate problem, rather than prostate cancer but it’s worth getting them checked out.
According to the NHS, the six most common early signs of prostate cancer include:
- Needing to urinate more often, especially at night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee
- Weak flow
- Straining and taking a long time while peeing
- Feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied fully
If prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body or breaks away from the prostate , it can cause other symptoms.
According to Prostate Cancer UK, these include:
- Back pain, hip pain or pelvis pain
- Problems getting or keeping an erection
- Blood in the urine or semen
- Unexplained weight loss
The cancer mainly affects men over 50, and your risk increases with age.
If you suspect you might have prostate cancer, speak to your GP.
5
It comes after NHS figures showed that cancer diagnoses hit an all-time high in 2022, with prostate cancer being the most common type.
Ex Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, 72, has been living with an aggressive form of prostate cancer since 2021 and recently shared an update on his treatment.
It was also revealed in November last year that Brookside star Dean Sullivan had passed away, after being diagnosed with the condition in 2018.
The Jimmy Corkhill actor’s agent announced that the 68-year-old actor had died peacefully following a short illness.
The soap opera icon revealed he did not struggle with many symptoms usually associated with prostate cancer.
But he did notice a reduced flow and decided to get checked after listening to his gut.
The first medical professional Dean saw told to monitor it, but a second doctor gave him a 30-second examination, which revealed his prostate was enlarged.
Sir Chris’s terminal diagnosis
Sir Chris first announced in February he was being “treated for cancer” and claimed it was going well – though knew in reality it was just “management”.
The star went to the doctor in late September last year after feeling a strain in his shoulder.
He described how his world “fell apart in one sentence”.
Speaking of the appointment, he told the Sunday Times he thought: “I’m just getting a bit old for lifting heavy weights”.
Referred by his physiotherapist for a scan, he went to hospital alone, expecting to be told to lay off upper-body work in the gym for a few weeks.
“I’m really sorry,” the doctor told him. “There’s a tumour in your shoulder.”
A second scan discovered primary cancer in his prostate.
The cancer has metastasised to Sir Chris’s bones – including his shoulder, pelvis, ribs, and spine – meaning his diagnosis is terminal.
Read more on the Olympic legend’s health battle here.
Further tests uncovered the cancer.
Dean urged people to push for the same level of investigation if they feel something is wrong.
“Sometimes people think they’re bothering the doctor unnecessarily but we shouldn’t be embarrassed to go back,” he told Prostate Cancer UK.
“If I’d have listened to the first doctor, it might have been a different story so always trust your gut.
“Eleven times out of 10, you’re right; we’ve still got that fight or flight instinct.”
Dean was confident his early diagnosis helped lead to successful treatment and warned others to get checked as soon as they notice any changes.
Treatment usually involves active surveillance, surgery or radiotherapy.
More than 95 per cent of people survive a year following diagnosis, and 85 per cent survive their cancer for five years or more.
The outlook depends on when it was caught. The earlier, the better.
Scientists recently claimed “breakthrough” blood test was able to diagnose men with prostate cancer with 90 per cent accuracy in 15 minutes or less.
