PROSTATE CANCER– A Personal Journey
David Payne
Prostate Cancer (PC) is caused by a mutation in the BRCA gene which is there to prevent the growth of tumours. This occurs in 1 in 8 white men and 1 in 4 black men.
Last year in the UK 58,000 men were diagnosed with PC and 12,300 men died – this is the third largest killer of men in the UK. Jeremy Clarkson was diagnosed with PC last year during a general health screening and fortunately for him, it was caught early and he is undergoing treatment which will eradicate the cancer. Chris Hoy wasn’t so fortunate, he sought medical advice for a painful shoulder which was found to be cancer from undiagnosed PC which had spread throughout his pelvis, spine and shoulders. His prognosis is that the cancer is terminal within 2-4 years.
The test for Prostate Cancer is a very simple blood test which should be carried out annually for men over 50 who have a family history of Prostate Cancer, or whose mother had breast or ovarian cancer. My father died with PC, my mother died of ovarian cancer and a cousin ignored the symptoms and died at the age of 55 with terminal PC.
With my family history I was advised to be tested from the age of 50. At the age of 60 my PSA levels started to rise, to the extent that in 2020 I had biopsies and scans which proved that PC was detected within the prostate. At this point it had not spread so I underwent a radical prostatectomy to remove the prostate. This was carried out using a Da Vinci robot and I continue to be tested annually – to date the results have proved that there is no detectable cancer.
Since my prostatectomy I have been evangelical about getting friends and family to have PSA tests and have been responsible for several men being detected early.
Early Symptoms
• Difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder
• A weak flow when you urinate
• A feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied completely
• Dribbling urine after you finish urinating
• Needing to urinate more often than usual – getting up at night
• A sudden need to urinate – sometimes leaking before getting there
Advanced Symptoms
· Back Pain, hip pain, pelvis pain
· Problems getting or keeping an erection
· Blood in urine or semen
· Unexplained weight loss
Should you be concerned or want to know more please contact me through Kings Church Wokingham.
David Payne
David Payne
Prostate Cancer (PC) is caused by a mutation in the BRCA gene which is there to prevent the growth of tumours. This occurs in 1 in 8 white men and 1 in 4 black men.
Last year in the UK 58,000 men were diagnosed with PC and 12,300 men died – this is the third largest killer of men in the UK. Jeremy Clarkson was diagnosed with PC last year during a general health screening and fortunately for him, it was caught early and he is undergoing treatment which will eradicate the cancer. Chris Hoy wasn’t so fortunate, he sought medical advice for a painful shoulder which was found to be cancer from undiagnosed PC which had spread throughout his pelvis, spine and shoulders. His prognosis is that the cancer is terminal within 2-4 years.
The test for Prostate Cancer is a very simple blood test which should be carried out annually for men over 50 who have a family history of Prostate Cancer, or whose mother had breast or ovarian cancer. My father died with PC, my mother died of ovarian cancer and a cousin ignored the symptoms and died at the age of 55 with terminal PC.
With my family history I was advised to be tested from the age of 50. At the age of 60 my PSA levels started to rise, to the extent that in 2020 I had biopsies and scans which proved that PC was detected within the prostate. At this point it had not spread so I underwent a radical prostatectomy to remove the prostate. This was carried out using a Da Vinci robot and I continue to be tested annually – to date the results have proved that there is no detectable cancer.
Since my prostatectomy I have been evangelical about getting friends and family to have PSA tests and have been responsible for several men being detected early.
Early Symptoms
• Difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder
• A weak flow when you urinate
• A feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied completely
• Dribbling urine after you finish urinating
• Needing to urinate more often than usual – getting up at night
• A sudden need to urinate – sometimes leaking before getting there
Advanced Symptoms
· Back Pain, hip pain, pelvis pain
· Problems getting or keeping an erection
· Blood in urine or semen
· Unexplained weight loss
Should you be concerned or want to know more please contact me through Kings Church Wokingham.
David Payne
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