Chris Hoy hailed for ‘courage’ in speaking about terminal cancer diagnosis

Cycling prima Sir Chris Hoy has been praised for his courageousness successful speaking retired astir his terminal prostate crab diagnosis, by a doc who has spent astir 2 decades trying to rise consciousness of the disease.

Professor Alan McNeill founded the foundation Prostate Scotland 18 years agone aft his wife’s begetter and gramps some died with the disease.

He said Sir Chris, a six times Olympic golden medal winner, would  “undoubtedly” person an interaction by speaking out.

His comments came aft the Edinburgh-born jock revealed recently that helium had been told last twelvemonth that helium has 2 to 4 years near to live.

Prof McNeill, a advisor urological surgeon astatine NHS Lothian, told the PA Scotland quality agency: “He is to beryllium commended for his courageousness successful sharing this, due to the fact that galore radical would privation to support it private.

“What helium has done, I presume helium has done specifically to effort to assistance others, truthful I deliberation helium has to beryllium admired and thanked for his courageousness successful doing that, due to the fact that helium has a young household and it is not easy.

“But successful doing truthful determination is nary question that it has raised the contented up the agenda.”

Sir Chris’s diagnosis came aft his begetter and gramps were some diagnosed with the disease, with Prof McNeill urging different men with a household past of prostate crab to get tested successful a bid to drawback immoderate cases early.

He said: “If Chris Hoy tin spare others with a akin household past past helium volition person done a large thing, different large thing.”

Stressing that “early prostate crab is curable successful the bulk of men”, the adept said that men with a family past of the disease, on with those with “racial predisposition”, specified arsenic Afro-Caribbean men, could beryllium classed arsenic “high hazard of prostate cancer”.

It is the astir communal crab successful men and expanding successful incidence.

Professor Alan McNeill, founder, Prostate Scotland

While men are entitled to inquire their doc for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) trial from the property of 50, Prof McNeill suggested they get checked earlier.

With aboriginal signifier prostate crab often not displaying immoderate symptoms, helium advised Afro-Caribbean men to get tested erstwhile they are 45, adding that those with a household past should person the cheque a decennary earlier than the property their relative was when diagnosed.

Prof McNeill said: “If their begetter had prostate crab aged 60, I volition accidental to the antheral ‘go get your PSA astatine 50, if your dada was 55 spell erstwhile you are 45’.”

He said “at least” 3,400 men successful Scotland are diagnosed with the disease each twelvemonth – the equivalent of much than 9 a day

“It is the astir communal crab successful men and expanding successful incidence,” the doc said.

But helium added that “nearly each week” helium and his colleagues spot men successful their 50s oregon aboriginal 60s suffering from precocious prostate cancer, and added: “After 18 years of trying to rise consciousness with Prostate Scotland, it is evident we inactive person enactment to do. Because for me, each azygous 1 of these men successful 1 excessively many.

“If we tin get men early, erstwhile the crab is inactive wrong the prostate, and they person curative treatment, I americium not a wellness economist but I would person thought not lone volition yet their prime of beingness beryllium amended successful the agelong term, but the outgo to the strategy volition beryllium reduced implicit the agelong term.

“Because you volition travel in, person your treatment, and you’re done. Whereas with the much precocious illness determination are tons of cause treatments, and astir apt much humor tests, much follow-up, much scans. So with precocious disease, if we tin trim the incidence it volition perchance payment the wellness service, ultimately.”