Jools Holland has revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer following a routine blood test in 2014 as he announces a star-studded event in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK.
The musician and TV star, 64, who has been successfully treated for the disease, said he had no symptoms prior to his diagnosis.
“I had no awareness of prostate cancer, no symptoms that I noticed whatsoever, until I was diagnosed following a routine blood test in 2014,” he said.
“Thankfully I was successfully treated, but if more people were aware of their risk and caught the disease early, then more lives would be saved.
“If I can bring people’s awareness to the facts of prostate cancer then I would certainly stand on top of my piano and shout about it because I think it’s really important.”
Holland has partnered with the charity on a musical event, Raise the Roof, which will see the likes of Spice Girl Melanie C, Paloma Faith and Celeste take to the stage at Royal Albert Hall on 22 June.
All funds raised by the event will go towards finding a testing approach for prostate cancer which could be used as part of a UK-wide screening programme.
Holland said he believes it’s “really important for men to be aware of the facts of prostate cancer and understand their risk”.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland in men that sits just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra.
More than 47,500 men across the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. The disease, which is the most common male cancer, is often curable if it is caught early, according to Prostate Cancer UK.
While prostate cancer mostly tends to affect men over the age of 50, some groups may have a higher risk, Emma Craske, a senior specialist nurse at the charity said.
“One in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime and that rises to one in four for black men, so black ethnicity is an increased risk factor,” she said.
“The risk also increases with age and family history, so particularly for men who’ve got a brother or father who was also diagnosed.”
Prostate Cancer UK estimates that around 14,000 men in England could have undiagnosed prostate cancer and may be in need of urgent treatment.
The charity is urging people against waiting for symptoms, as often there aren’t any in the early stages.
Instead, it is asking the public to use its risk checker tool to assess their own risk factors and speak to their doctor if they are concerned.
Recalling his own experience, Holland said: “Had I not had that routine test, where something had shown up, then I would have just gone on and on until it was perhaps too late to have done anything about it.
“It’s not like I suddenly felt ill, except you suddenly have this thing hanging over your head and you think ‘hang on, don’t people die from all this?’,” he added.
Prostate Cancer UK has highlighted some symptoms which may be indicative of prostate cancer and should be checked by a doctor.
These include changes to how you urinate and how frequently you urinate, blood in the urine, erectile dysfunction and lower back pain.
You can use Prostate Cancer UK’s risk checker tool here.
