A simple blood test could save your life – don’t wait for symptoms

Anyone who has had prostate cancer will tell you that blood tests are a regular part of life, and it doesn’t matter how familiar you are with the procedure, there’s always a bit of anxiety while waiting for the results. You don’t want anything to be found that might interfere with your progress, but that possibility is ever present. Slight but present, nonetheless.

I’m still happy to get them done though. I’ve been having them for years and they have already saved my life once and I would advise any man over forty years of age who hasn’t had a conversation about prostate cancer with his GP, to do so immediately. Like today.

Public awareness campaigns continue to highlight the need for men to be aware of symptoms such as frequent urination, decreased force of urination, difficulty starting or stopping urine stream, blood in the semen, pain or discomfort in the pelvic area. If you experience any of these, you should consult your doctor, but my advice is not to wait for symptoms because they might never appear.

That needs to be shouted from the rooftops. I know I’m repeating myself but the majority of guys I know who have had prostate cancer had no symptoms, so we need to get that message out there. Creating awareness is important and as September is national prostate cancer awareness month, it seems appropriate to talk about it now.

Bill Turnbull, the former BBC broadcaster died as a result of this disease recently at the age of sixty-six. He went public with his diagnosis in 2018 and his campaigning saved lives and encouraged “thousands and thousands” of men to come forward for prostate cancer testing, experts say. Thanks to the publicity he generated, referrals to the NHS increased by about 20%, according to the charity Prostate Cancer UK.

Calls to its helpline also saw a large increase and they reckon news of his death could have a similar impact. Inspiring men to be tested for the illness was the “one useful thing” he had done in his life, Turnbull said, admitting he was “cross with myself” for the pride he had felt at not visiting a GP in four years.

Unfortunately, Turnbull’s story isn’t unusual because men are generally poor at looking after their health. We’re not great at asking for directions, reading instruction manuals, or multi-tasking either, but these failings are seldom fatal. Neglecting our health on the other hand can be, but avoiding the medical check-up is still a common complaint.

The thought of surgery, potential side effects and the inconvenience of it all can be off-putting. None of us likes to be poked and prodded but the consequences of ignoring a prostate issue are not good. The prospect of sitting in front of a medic and being told you have cancer might be scary and that’s understandable, but if you’re going to get that news, it’s better to get it early. Ignoring it won’t make it go away.

I’m not an expert when it comes to cancer, but I do know what it’s like to get rid of a dodgy prostate. I’m not going to tell you it was a pleasant experience because it wasn’t. The digital examinations, the biopsy, the surgery, the recovery and the side effects were all a pain in the butt, quite literally, but having said that, it wasn’t bad enough to put me off either. If I had to go through it all again, I would because the alternative is a lot more unpleasant.

It is a dangerous disease that needs to be taken seriously. Reassurance from well-wishers that it’s the best kind of cancer to get doesn’t really cut the mustard. While they don’t mean any harm, they don’t help either. The diagnosis will shake you up a bit initially but it’s not the end of the world once it’s caught in time and not every case requires surgery either.

Thankfully, improvements are constantly being made in the diagnosis and treatment. An article in The Times UK claimed that screening for prostate cancer could be possible within five years. Prostate screening has been notoriously difficult, but advances in genetics and medical imaging are hopefully going to change that.

Prostate cancer is still the most common cancer among men, but survival rates have improved dramatically. In the 1970s, only 25 per cent of those with a diagnosis lived more than ten years but now when detected early, over 92% of men survive. With early detection, this disease can be treated successfully.

There is plenty of support available too. MAC (Men Against Cancer) is an Irish volunteer patient support group for men with prostate or testicular cancer and for men who have other prostatic conditions.

Members provide non-medical support, counselling and information for those diagnosed with prostate cancer and their relatives, so they don’t have to face it alone. According to their website, MAC members provide peer support for patients and relatives which is free and anonymous, and the volunteers are all men who have been affected by the disease themselves.

For men who develop advanced prostate cancer, there are new treatments available too and that’s very positive news for them but the best way to deal with this disease is to catch it before it gets to that stage. Early detection is vital and that can be achieved with a simple blood test.

I had my surgery in September 2018, and I’ve just had my annual visit to my consultant in the Mater Hospital. Thankfully my blood results are fine so I’m good to go for another while. That might not have been the case If my GP had not suggested having these blood tests as soon as I hit 50 and I will be forever grateful that he did.