Let’s Talk About Prostate Cancer—It Could Save a Life

If you're a man over 50, or you care about one, please take this seriously: book a doctor’s appointment and ask for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. It’s quick, simple—and it could save a life.

Prostate cancer has been weighing heavily on my mind. My grandfather sadly passed away from it, and my father has recently been diagnosed with stage 4. These personal experiences have made the issue feel urgent and real. Maybe it’s the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon—where once you notice something, you start seeing it everywhere—or maybe it’s just that I’m a man of a certain age. Either way, the possibility that I could be next has been hard to ignore.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK. Over 56,000 men are diagnosed each year, and tragically, around 12,000 die from it. In South Ribble alone, 14,120 men are currently living with prostate cancer. Last year, 1,474 new cases were diagnosed locally, and 313 men lost their lives. These numbers are not just statistics—they represent fathers, brothers, sons, and friends.

That’s why I’m urging men over 50 to speak to their GP and consider a PSA test. I recently had one myself. Given my family history, I was apprehensive—but thankfully, my results came back clear and the relief was a weight off my shoulders. So, even if it’s just for your peace of mind too, early detection can make all the difference.

I’ve made it a personal mission to learn more and raise awareness. Two charities doing incredible work in this space are Prostate Cancer Research and Prostate Cancer UK. They’re campaigning for a national screening programme—something that doesn’t currently exist for prostate cancer, despite its prevalence. Emerging technologies like AI-assisted MRI scans, reflex blood tests, and polygenic risk scores offer promising advances in detection. A national screening programme could be implemented for a modest cost—around £25 million annually, just 0.01% of the NHS budget—with minimal impact on the workforce.

I stand with these charities and will continue to support their efforts. Next month, I’ll be taking part in a sponsored walking challenge to raise funds and awareness. I encourage you to check out their work, donate if you can, and most importantly—talk about it.

Whether you’re a man over 50, a partner, a son or daughter, or a friend—start the conversation. Let’s break the stigma, push for change, and make sure more families are spared the pain mine has endured.