FOR something that is normally about the size of a walnut, the prostate gland can cause a lot of problems – not least of which is cancer.

At the moment, there is no national screening programme for prostate cancer, the most common type of cancer in men.

Some have called for a blood test that measures levels of a protein produced by the gland’s cells to be used for screening.

But the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is notorious for giving false positive or false negative results for cancer.

Royal Bournemouth Hospital consultant urologist Kevin Turner admitted: “The whole question is hugely controversial. Consultant urologists are generally quite wary of the widespread introduction of PSA as a screening tool.”

He said two major international studies involving thousands of men in the USA and Europe had concluded that the PSA test did not come up to scratch.

One of the main difficulties is that PSA levels tend to rise with age, and with an extremely common condition called benign enlargement of the prostate. Mr Turner explained: “Many men who have elevated PSA don’t have prostate cancer, and only a proportion of those diagnosed need radical, aggressive, curative treatments.

“Many men with prostate cancer will die with the disease, not of the disease.

“The government has sat on the fence and said to GPs that if a man asks for the test, after appropriate counselling, they should offer it to them.”

Routine post mortem examinations suggest that as many as half of all men over 70 will have some cancer in the prostate, but most will never have noticed any symptoms. Although signs such as difficulty in starting to urinate, poor stream, and frequent visits to the loo are not specific to prostate cancer, they should not be ignored.

“If you do have any of those symptoms, you should go to the doctor. They are significant quality of life issues which can be treated.

“You shouldn’t accept them as an inevitable consequence of getting older,” urged Mr Turner.

Although Mr Turner has treated patients in their thirties and forties for prostate cancer, it is more common in older men.

“Risk factors are poorly understood. The advice I give is ‘stay fit, stay slim and live a healthy lifestyle’,” he added.

Treatment of prostate cancer depends on several factors.

Sometimes doctors will just monitor the situation, but other options include removing the prostate and treating the cancer with hormones or radiation.

Keyhole surgery is used locally for prostate removal.

Tree surgeon and former Royal Marine Hugh “Spike” Kelly was only 58 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer two and a half years ago.

He had gone to his doctor with a spider bite on his arm, but because he hadn’t been to the surgery for several years, his GP decided to run some blood tests.

They showed that his PSA level was high for his age.

“I really didn’t have any symptoms or problems. I think that was quite a big shock.

“It really hit home hard because of prostate cancer being quite rife within my family,” said Hugh, of Oakdale, Poole.

“The most difficult thing was going to the hospital, being told the results of the biopsy, being told I had cancer and the fear that it had spread.”

After discussing treatment options, Hugh underwent surgery to remove his prostate.

He spent four nights in hospital and was back at work after eight weeks.

As his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and other male relatives had suffered from prostate cancer, Hugh’s two brothers were advised to get tested aswell.

Both have undergone treatment. Hugh’s four sons will also be advised to have an annual blood test from the age of 40.

“I was very lucky. I’m so pleased it was caught in time,” said Hugh.

He tells his story on a new short film for patients about prostate surgery. It can be viewed on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s website, www.rbch.nhs.uk.

Prostate Cancer Charity needs your help

THE Prostate Cancer Charity is holding a month of activities to raise the profile of prostate cancer across the UK.

It is urging people to sign up for the 10,000 Challenge to remember the number of men who die from prostate cancer every year in the UK alone. The challenge could be anything from a 10k run, a 10,000ft skydive, raising 10,000 pennies – or sitting in a tub of 10,000 baked beans.

Sign up at prostate-cancer.org.uk or text BLUE to 70007 to donate £3 to the charity.