Shropshire health bosses encouraging men to find out more about prostate cancer
Men across Shropshire have been encouraged to find out more about prostate cancer during an awareness month.
In conjunction with Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups want men to find out more about the disease to encourage early diagnoses.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men, with one in eight diagnosed with it at some point in their lives.
Latest figures show that there are an average of 160 new prostate cancer diagnoses for every 100,000 males per year in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Older men over the age of 50, black men and men with a family history of prostate or breast cancer are more likely to get prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer does not usually cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis.
Men are encouraged to visit their doctor if they are urinating more often – especially during the night; needing to rush to the toilet; have difficulty starting to urinate; are feeling that their bladder has not emptied properly; have blood in urine or semen.
The earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the better chances of successful treatment.
At the end of 2015, around 2,870 people in the region were living up to 21 years after a prostate cancer diagnosis.
Dr Julian Povey, chair of Shropshire CCG, said: “Spotting cancer early saves lives.
"We are urging local men to be aware of the symptoms of prostate cancer, so they visit their doctor if they experience any of the signs and symptoms associated with the disease.”
Dr Jo Leahy, chair of Telford and Wrekin CCG, said: “There are no guaranteed ways to prevent prostate cancer, but there are some lifestyle changes that men can make to reduce the risk of developing the disease.
"A healthy diet and active lifestyle can improve general wellbeing and can also reduce the risk of developing many other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and other forms of cancers.”
For more information, visit nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/ or https://prostatecanceruk.org
