Prostate cancer awareness in Movember

27 November 2024

You may have recently seen in the media the sad news that six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy has been diagnosed with palliative prostate cancer. As we are in the month of ‘Movember’, it comes as a stark reminder of the importance of increasing men’s awareness of the condition.

The prostate is a small gland under the bladder which is about the size of a walnut. Cancer of the prostate is the most common type of cancer in men in the UK. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

While anyone with a prostate could potentially develop prostate cancer, certain factors increase the risk of it developing. It is more common in men as they get older, in men of black ethnicity, and in men who have family members with prostate cancer.

What are the symptoms?

Some men can go years without noticing any symptoms. Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:

• Blood in your urine or semen
• Needing to pass urine more frequently, straining while you urinate, or feeling your bladder has not fully emptied
• Erectile dysfunction
• Back or bone pain with no identified cause
• Unexplained pain on passing urine, especially if it happens regularly.

These symptoms do not mean you necessarily have prostate cancer, as there are other possible causes which are more common. But it does mean you should get a check-up with your GP.

Where to find more information

For more information on prostate cancer, you can go to the NHS page on prostate cancer at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/, or check out the ‘Movember’ link at https://uk.movember.com/men-s-health/prostate-cancer

Sam Goodall

Trainee Occupational Health Physician