Prostate cancer survivor urges men to get tested

A man who discovered he had prostate cancer following a free blood test run by a volunteer group has urged other men to get checked.

John Strange has now fully recovered after his diagnosis two years ago, which came after a free clinic organised by Windsor Lions Club.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men, with around one in eight in the UK being diagnosed with it in their lifetime.

Screening for the condition is not currently recommended because using the current test - which looks for levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood - can falsely find men who do not have prostate cancer.

"I just had a very simple blood test and, uh, the results of that came through in sort of two or three days," Mr Strange told the BBC.

"[The test found] I had a raised PSA, so I made a note of that and took it to the GP."

Mr Strange's doctor then referred him for a biopsy, after which he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"It all happened fairly quickly," he said.

Two years on, having had his cancer surgically removed, he has now received the all clear.

He said: "Suffice to say, it all turned out alright and it wouldn't have done so without the lion's event."

The free screening event, which people must pre-book to attend, has been organised again this year and takes place at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday.

Dianne Purchase, from the Lions Club of Windsor, said the group began organising the event as there was a "huge gap" due to the lack of a national screening programme.

She added that about a thousand men had already signed up for Saturday's event, with 40 volunteer nurses performing the tests.

Screening is not currently recommend for prostate cancer because using the current test can risk causing more harm than good.

According to the UK National Screening Committee, the PSA test is not accurate enough to detect prostate cancer that needs treatment. It can falsely find men who do not have prostate cancer and can also miss others.

But Mr Strange said he believes it is better to get tested than not.

"I can only reiterate for people to book online, go to the event, and get tested," he said.

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