A man who "shied away" from having his prostate checked said "everything went blank" when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Mike Crowe was diagnosed with prostate cancer after going to see his doctor for a routine prostate check. The customer relations advisor for BMW said he had "always been health conscious but for some reason shied away from prostate cancer".
Mike was shocked when he had found out his close friend Gilly Morgan had been diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2014. After speaking with Gilly and his sister, who is a nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Mike went for a short examination at his local GP.
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His GP told him his prostate was "very small" and sent him for further tests. Mike said: "When I was diagnosed, my consultant and a nurse were in the room but no smiles. I knew something wasn’t right.
"They told me the biopsies have come back and that I have prostate cancer. Everything just went blank. Everything he said after I wasn’t taking in properly. I stood up and felt weak.
"I never drank or smoked and in my head there was nothing I could have done better to prevent this. The next day I got up and told myself, ‘I can beat this’."
The cancer was caught early enough that it hadn’t spread, and he had a significantly better chance of recovery – what’s more, there were several treatment options available. Mike opted for an operation and this was completed at The Clatterbridge Hospital, in Wirral – and after eight days he was back on his feet and back to work.
He has since been cancer free and puts it down to getting checks regularly, but is urging people to see their GP if something doesn't feel right. He said: "Nine in ten people that get checked for cancer don’t have it but just in case that is what you have, it is always, always better to know early.
"I wanted to see my eight kids and nine grandkids grow and I know you’ll feel the same way about the important things in your life. Don’t be worried, go and get checked. It’s just a simple blood test. Talk to your GP if there’s anything you’re not sure about, don’t bury your head in the sand. You don’t want to leave it too late."
As Men’s Health Month comes to an end, the NHS in the North West is encouraging men to come forward for potentially lifesaving checks, in its latest campaign to catch prostate and other urological cancers early. Nationally, more people than ever before are receiving urological checks, including for prostate cancer, with over 40,000 more between August 2021 and August 2022 compared to the year before.
Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and is very treatable if caught early. Research suggests treatment at stages one and two has a near 100% survival rate compared to around 50% at stage four. Prostate cancer usually doesn’t cause any symptoms while it’s at an early stage but the chances of developing prostate cancer are higher for black men, men over the age of 50 or for those who have a family history of prostate cancer.
Symptoms when they do appear can include:
- Needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)
- Straining or taking a long time while peeing
- Weak flow
- Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
- Blood in urine or blood in semen
Dr Michael Gregory, regional medical director at NHS England North West said: “It’s great news that the numbers of people coming for cancer checks has bounced back since the pandemic, and that more men are getting the treatment that they need for prostate cancer.
“Catching any cancer early leads to a better chance of successful treatment, but prostate cancer caught early is one of the most treatable, with a very high survival rate – so those checks, especially if you’re in the higher risk categories or experiencing any of the symptoms, are vital. If you’re worried at all, or if you notice changes in how you pee, contact your GP practice as soon as possible.”
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