TODAY Males’s Well being Week kicks off.
And to mark the event, charity Prostate Most cancers UK has launched its What on Earth is a prostate!? marketing campaign which highlights stunning new stats, revealing the misconceptions males in Scotland have concerning the illness.
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New analysis confirmed that 4 in 5 males don’t know what the prostate does whereas greater than a 3rd don’t even know the place it’s.
The organisation is working to bust myths across the situation, which impacts 52,000 yearly within the UK.
And in the present day Ian McNeil, who was hit with prostate most cancers aged 52, writes about his shock on the prognosis, his gruelling remedy and why he feels so fortunate to be alive to assist others survive the illness.
IT might sound unusual to you, me saying ‘I’m one of many fortunate ones’, in relation to being recognized with prostate most cancers. However I’m.
And I hope many extra Scottish Solar readers can be equally lucky by spending a couple of minutes to deal with the hazards of essentially the most frequent most cancers in males – and the methods we will beat it.
I used to be devastated after I obtained my prostate most cancers prognosis in 2018. After which once more when my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood ranges continued to rise after I had my prostate eliminated.
Three years on, after radiotherapy and hormone remedy, I’m again to full well being, really feel nice and am most cancers free. And vastly grateful.
So, I’m proud to assist Prostate Most cancers UK as they launch a brand new marketing campaign this week to assist males navigate the illness, in response to worrying new analysis exhibiting widespread misconceptions amongst males in Scotland.
Forward of Males’s Well being Week and Father’s Day, the charity is working to bust frequent myths by sharing clear and correct well being details about prostate most cancers to assist dads, brothers, sons and pals make the precise selections in the case of their well being – with doubtlessly lifesaving outcomes.
A brand new research launched final week by Prostate Most cancers UK for its “What on Earth is a prostate?!” marketing campaign – which surveyed over 2,000 males aged 18+ throughout the UK on their data of the prostate and prostate most cancers – has highlighted the necessity for continued and heightened efforts to make sure males have the details they should perceive their threat of the illness. The ends in Scotland had been startling.
Greater than fourth fifths of Scottish males surveyed didn’t know what the prostate does and over a 3rd didn’t know the place it was of their physique. This unfamiliarity with the prostate carried by way of to harmful misconceptions about the most typical most cancers in males.
A person’s threat of prostate most cancers will increase if they’re aged over 50, black and over 45 or have a household historical past of the illness. However worryingly over 86 per cent of Scottish males didn’t assume a person’s ethnicity elevated his threat of prostate most cancers, greater than half didn’t realise having a household historical past of it might improve a person’s threat and 56 per cent didn’t know age is a threat issue.
I used to be recognized with prostate most cancers on the age of 52.
Having no signs and being so younger I by no means thought I’d get it. However I used to be fortunate.
I’d seen my GP yearly since my early 40s as a part of an annual medical check-up by way of my firm’s medical insurance.
So when my PSA blood ranges jumped considerably after numerous checks, I used to be recognized with aggressive prostate most cancers.
Though the negative effects of getting my prostate eliminated – urinary and erectile points – had been scary, all I knew was I needed it out of me as rapidly as attainable. My remedy pathway has not been simple, I do know. However I’m completely satisfied and wholesome now.
Not all males are as fortunate as me. Certainly, many could also be strolling round oblivious and carrying these misconceptions.
It’s vastly vital that males in Scotland – and additional afield – familiarise themselves concerning the risks of this illness and perceive their threat of getting prostate most cancers.
I speak about luck rather a lot, I do know, however think about this. My urologist stated that if I hadn’t caught this after I did, I wouldn’t have made it to my sixtieth birthday – I used to be 52 when recognized and I’m 56 now.
My PSA ranges are undetectable and I’ve been most cancers free for round two years now. That’s why I’m eager to do something that helps elevate consciousness about this horrible illness. It’s so vital that extra males spot it, take a look at for it and get handled early.
Having prostate most cancers has modified my outlook on life. Now I’ve gone into retirement, it’s accelerated my want to go travelling, spend time with my spouse, youngsters and grandchildren and see the world. It’s made me realise that life is for residing – you solely get one shot.
– To seek out out extra concerning the marketing campaign, how you can bust frequent myths about the most typical most cancers in males and save lives go to prostatecanceruk.org/whatonearth
