Prostate Cancer UK: |
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March for Men 13th June 2026:: |
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| In the March for Men event on the 13th June 2026, held in Battersea
Park: |
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| My family and I were part of the 4,109 people taking part. The weather was perfect, not too hot, sunny and dry. The atmosphere in the park was incredible, with music and stalls for various foods in the central area and music being played at various points around the 5Km route. We were either taking part in the 10Km or 5Km - the 10Km walk leaving the park at 11 a.m. and walking along the River Thames before returning back to the park for the finish. The 5Km walk started at 12 p.m, stayed in the park and involved two laps. Before setting off for either walk there was a warm-up to music. It was said that there would be a number of celebrities taking part - but we didn't see any. Where were you Diana and Kym? At the finish, we were awarded medals with colour coded lanyards according to the distance walked. At a team, we raised £1,941, and the money raised on the day will be used to fund further research, raise awareness and fund the Transform prostate cancer trial. This trial, limited to black men, is hoped to proved the evidence for a nationwide screening of all men. My story can be found here. | ||||||
Photographs taken on the day - each thumbnail will open in a new window. |
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| The PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood is the first step towards a Prostate Cancer diagnosis. A normal PSA level is between 0 and 4.5. A PSA level over that could indicate the present of prostate cancer. I say could, because there can be false positives and further tests are needed for an accurate diagnosis. A CT scan and a MRI, plus a biopsy are all needed to locate, determine the size of the cancer and indicate the aggressiveness of the cancer. I have had all three, plus a bone scan to reach a diagnosis. My cancer has spread outside of the prostate - into the bones of the hips, mostly on the left hip and also in my 7th rib. Although, it has spread to some bones, it is not bone cancer. Wherever, it may be it is still prostate cancer and will respond to treatment. My Gleeson score is 3+3, the lowest score and indicates it is slow growing. It has probably been growing unnoticed for many years. My T, N and M scores are T3a, N1 and M1b. Those scores all look pretty daunting, but I do not feel unwell, in fact, apart from the side effects of the chemotherapy, I feel very well. My medication is working and my PSA is 'undetected' and my testosterone is very, very low. Prostate Cancer is indeed a strange cancer, often it doesn't show any symptoms at all, and if you did, you may not recognise them as indications of prostate cancer. This is why there must be a nationwide screening programme for all men that are at risk of developing prostate cancer. Those in charge of nationwide screening (as of 2026) are only targeting men aged 45 to 61 with a BRCA2 gene change and a family history of some cancer types. There are concerns about over diagnosis and over treatment in older men - for example older men with a slow-growing prostate cancer that may never cause symptoms or affect a man's lifespan, may suffer unnecessary stress if tested and subsequent treatments may cause more harm than good. | ||||||