TALKING about their below-the-belt health isn’t exactly a chat most men are rushing to have.
But prostate cancer is now the most common type of tumour in England following a surge in diagnoses after the Covid pandemic.
Analysis of NHS figures reveals 55,033 men were diagnosed with it in 2023, compared to 47,526 women with breast cancer, the next most common.
So, while talking about prostate health might feel a bit awkward, it’s definitely a conversation worth having – especially if something seems off or you’re at higher risk.
It’s a message backed by ex-Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan, 67, who announced today he has stage four prostate cancer.
The married dad-of-four wrote in an emotional message on social media: “I’m fortunate to have a simply outstanding medical team looking after me, who I can’t thank enough – they are administering the best possible care with expertise, compassion and sensitivity.
“I’m responding positively to their excellent treatment and feeling well.
“I’m blessed to be fortified by the monumental love and support of my wife, family and close friends.
“Needless to say my message to all men over 50, in high-risk groups, or displaying symptoms, is get yourself tested and campaign for routine prostate screening by the NHS.”
He also said he is aiming to take part in Sir Chris Hoy’s bike ride in September, which will raise awareness and funds for cancer charities across the UK.
Cyclist Sir Chris was told last year that his stage four prostate cancer was terminal after it spread to his bones.
He said: “The earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat.
“We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier, and stop them getting the news I got.”
Early prostate cancer doesn’t normally carry symptoms.
“That’s why we do everything we can to make every man aware of his risk of getting the disease and empower him to think about his testing options,” Chiara De Biase, from Prostate Cancer UK, says.
“This is so that he has the best chance of getting that all-important earlier diagnosis.
“Because the earlier you find prostate cancer, the easier it is to treat.”
Sir Chris Hoy has also spoken out about his disease[/caption]
The likelihood of having the disease increases from 50 onwards.
Meanwhile, black men are at double the risk so are advised to be checked from the age of 45.
The threat also doubles if your father or brother has had prostate cancer.
Some symptoms may start to emerge when the cancer growth is big enough to put pressure on the urethra – that tube you pee through.
When this happens, some people may experience the following:
- 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 the disease has spread to other parts of the body – which is when it’s known as advanced or metastatic prostate cancer – it can cause several other symptoms, including:
- Back or bone pain that doesn’t go away with rest
- Tiredness
- Weight loss for no reason
If you suspect you might have prostate cancer or you are worried about your risk, speak to your GP.
You may be able to have a PSA blood test, which measures the amount of prostate specific antigen in your blood and can help detect an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and prostate cancer.
These tests aren’t routinely offered on the NHS, but you may be offered one if a doctor thinks you have symptoms that could be prostate cancer.
All men aged 50 or over can ask their GP for a PSA test, even if they do not have symptoms.
The prostate is a small, gland, that only men have.
It can be found around the urethra, between the penis and the bladder.
Many men’s prostates get bigger as they age because of two non-cancerous conditions: prostate enlargement and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
These conditions are more common than prostate cancer – but that doesn’t mean symptoms should be ignored, experts say.
What causes prostate cancer and how can I lower my risk?
Prostate cancer is very common, but its causes are unknown, the NHS says.
Recent research suggests obesity increases your risk of prostate cancer while exercising regularly lowers it.
Prostate Cancer UK says: “There is strong evidence that being overweight increases the risk of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
“Keeping active and eating a healthy diet can help you stay a healthy weight, and can improve your health in other ways too.
“You can’t change your age, ethnicity or family history, but you can take control of your lifestyle.
“If you would like help making changes, ask your GP or practice nurse if there are any local healthy lifestyle services.”
You can use your body mass index (BMI) as a measure of whether your weight is healthy.
For most adults, a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. Any higher means you are likely to be overweight or obese and at increased risk of health issues.
The NHS has a useful tool to calculate your BMI.
One in eight men will get prostate cancer
The risk of developing prostate cancer depends on many factors, here are some of the facts about the disease and how many men it affects.
- One in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime
- It is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, and the most common in men
- There are 55,000 new cases every year in the UK, and 1.4million globally
- Around 12,000 people lose their lives to prostate cancer annually in the UK and almost 400,000 around the world
- Prostate cancer accounts for 28 per cent of all new cancer cases in men in the UK, and 14 per cent of all new cancer cases in men and women combined
- Prostate cancer survival has tripled in the last 50 years in the UK
- More than three-quarters (78 per cent) of patients survive for 10 or more years
- About 490,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer in the UK
- It is most common in men aged 75 to 79
- Since the early 1990s, cases have increased by 53 per cent in the UK
- Mortality rates are up 16 per cent since the early 1970s in the UK
- Incidence rates are projected to rise by 15 per cent in the UK between 2023 to 2025 and 2038 to 2040
- Mortality rates are expected to fall five per cent in the UK over the same years
Source: Prostate Cancer UK, World Cancer Research Fund International and Cancer Research UK
“Another way to check if you’re a healthy weight is to measure the size of your waist,” Prostate Cancer UK says.
“Carrying fat around your stomach can raise your risk of, heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.”
To measure your waist, wrap a tape measure around your stomach, half-way between the top of your hips and the bottom of your ribs. Breathe out naturally.
If a man’s waist is 37in (94cm) or higher, you have a higher risk of health problems.
If it’s 40in (102cm) or more, you’re at very high risk and should speak to your GP.
To lose weight, you should focus on being physically active (at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week) and eating a balanced diet.
This means plenty of fruit and veg, lean meat and whole grains, and not many high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods.
You can use the Eatwell Guide as a guide for how much of each food group you should eat.
If you stop smoking, your risk should start to drop and after 10 years it could be as low as men who have never smoked
Prostate Cancer UK
But it might be worth decreasing your intake of certain foods and increasing others.
For example, a diet rich in dairy is thought to be unfavourable when it comes to risk level.
“This could be because milk, yoghurt and cheese contain calcium, and having too much can increase your risk,” Prostate Cancer UK says.
“It’s still important to eat some dairy foods every day, but you don’t need more than about 700mg to keep your bones healthy.”
A 200ml glass of milk contains about 250mg, while 120g of low fat yoghurt contains about 180mg.
But eating foods that contain lycopene is said to reduce the risk of prostate cancer developing, Cancer Research UK says.
This includes tomatoes and tomato-based foods, particularly when cooked.
Selenium, found in Brazil nuts, fish, seafood, liver and kidney, is also thought to be somewhat beneficial, as is vitamin E, from foods such as nuts, seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and avocados.
And finally, there is strong evidence that smoking is linked to aggressive prostate cancer.
“If you stop smoking, your risk should start to drop and after 10 years it could be as low as men who have never smoked,” Prostate Cancer UK says.
You can take an online test to reveal your risk of prostate cancer here.
