Tower and Town, June 2016 (view the full edition)You And Your ProstateIf you are male, are you one of the 54%? That's the percentage of men who were shown by a recent survey (1) not to know where their prostate gland is. I certainly lived till my 64th year in ignorance of the prostate, what it did for me, and why it is important to check on its health. Many men, like me, only realise they have a prostate when it starts to go wrong. Now I'm Chairman of Oxfordshire Prostate Cancer Support Group, and I'd like to explain the work that such groups do. There are approximately 80 support groups working with men and their families in the UK, but not yet in Wiltshire. The nearest to Marlborough are in Reading, the Cotswolds and Bristol - see http://www.tackleprostate.org/, Tackle, the Federation of Prostate Cancer Support Groups. Support groups have two main aims: to support men who have been diagnosed with or treated for prostate cancer, and to spread awareness so that more men get checked. In Oxfordshire we run group meetings on topics related to prostate cancer and we hold well supported social events - an annual cruise on the Thames with cream tea and jazz band is a highlight. The most frequent enquiries to our support line come from men who have to decide between a choice of treatments. We are able to put them in touch with men who have been through the various treatments and can share their experiences reassuringly. It's easy to produce scary headlines: '1 in 8 men will develop prostate cancer', 'Prostate cancer is the biggest killer among male cancers'. But the fact is that it's a slow growing cancer and can be treated effectively if caught early enough. Men over 50, and those in the two groups who are at higher risk of prostate cancer (men with a family history of prostate cancer and Black men) should consider having a discussion with their GP, who may well recommend a 'PSA test', that is, a simple blood test to measure the level of prostate specific antigen. Can there be symptoms? Sometimes urinary problems can be a clue, but many men such as myself had no recognisable symptoms and count our blessings that a two-minute blood test was enough to show that action was needed. Six years later I am leading an active life with a job that involves travelling the world. Thank goodness my wife said 'Go and get checked.' John Grundy |