Hi everyone, it's Gemma from Prostate Action here. I'm the Head of Events and a mum to be too.
Thanks for all the replies so far, keep them coming!
In response to a few questions posed on here regarding Prostate Cancer and screening; screening for prostate cancer has been a thorny issue for many years. Prostate cancer is much easier to treat when caught early so it stands to reason that everyone would want to catch it as soon as possible and that, in most people?s minds, leads to screening. Unfortunately, there isn?t a reliable enough test for prostate cancer to make screening worthwhile. The PSA blood test, while a useful indicator of prostate health, is not a test for cancer and using it for screening would throw up too many false positives (resulting in unnecessary over-treatment) and too many false negatives (resulting in potentially fatal under-treatment). Interestingly, in the States, there used to be a policy of PSA screening which has recently been overturned due to these reasons.
While we?re waiting for better diagnostic tests ? we, along with a number of other organisations are currently funding research projects looking specifically into this, but unfortunately it takes time ? it?s important for men to be aware of the signs and risks associated with prostate cancer. Problems peeing could be a sign of prostate cancer (although they?re far more likely to be something else less sinister) and, if your man is in his late 40s to 50s or above, you should encourage him to talk to his doctor about them. If he has a family history of prostate cancer or is black, he is in a higher risk group and should think about talking to his doctor from the age of 45 or even earlier if he?s concerned.
We?ve been told by some urologists that if men lived to be 200 years old, they would probably all have prostate cancer but would most likely die of something else. The disease is broadly spoken about in two forms ? tigers (the aggressive strain which is very difficult to treat) and pussycats (much less aggressive and sometimes may not require treatment at all). The problem is we don?t really have a way of telling which is which at the moment. We hear devastating stories about men who have died as early as their late 30s but it doesn?t necessarily mean that all men under the age of 50 who get prostate cancer are doomed. In fact, we?ve met men who were diagnosed in their 40s and have recovered now and have joined in charity runs for us. That?s also not to say that older men won?t develop the ?tigers? later on in life.
There?s so much we still don?t know about prostate cancer, it?s an incredibly complex disease, but there are improvements being made all the time. We really hope that raising awareness among men and their families will help make a difference. The most important message for us is that men should be aware of the symptoms and their own risk and if they are concerned about anything about their health (and we would extend this beyond prostate matters) they should visit the doctor.
Wow, sorry for the long post - I hope that some of you find this useful and do just shout if you have any other questions.
Thanks again for all of your replies to our questions about Pants in the Park!