More men being treated for prostate cancer thanks to celebrities

Between April and July 2018, 14,479 people were treated for some type of urological cancer. This is a 36% increase from the same four month period the year before.

Chief Executive of the NHS, Simon Stevens, has praised BBC presenter Bill Turnball and broadcaster Steven Fry for encouraging men to get checked and treated. They have raised awareness for urological cancers and have been very open about their own personal experiences with prostate cancer.

In March, the NHS prostate cancer webpage had 70,000 visits – this is a huge increase from the monthly norm of 20,000 visits.

It has been announced that an extra £10m would be spent on increasing capacity and resources in hospitals so that more people with prostate cancer can be treated far more efficiently.

Prostate cancer often goes unnoticed whilst in its early stages, however it is important to keep an eye out for the following symptoms:

• increased urge to urinate
• feeling unable to fully empty the bladder
• sudden urge to urinate
• weak urine flow
• difficulty in starting to urinate.

Those more likely to be affected by prostate cancer are:

• men over 50
• black men
• men who have had relatives diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Amanda Cavanagh, a Medical Negligence Specialist at Ashtons Legal, says: “The influx of funding investment in this area is very welcome news. Unfortunately Cancer remains the main contributor to early deaths in all ages and in all types of cancer. Funding alongside early detection needs to be increased in all types of cancer to achieve the best survival results.”