THERE is “no easy answer to diagnosing prostate cancer early” according to consultant clinical oncologist Joe O’Sullivan.
The leading medic at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre wants to send out the resounding message that men need to become less inhibited about health issues, breaking the cultural norm.
Professor O’Sullivan recommends that men should go for an annual health MOT from the age of 55.
“This is available if asked for on the NHS. GPs should be encouraging men to get this done to check out their blood pressure, cholesterol and a PSA test, among other tests.”
The 42-year-old admits there “usually aren’t any symptoms of prostate cancer in the early stages”.
“But the bottom line is that men need to get themselves checked out of they are having to pass urine more often, finding they are getting up at night to pass urine, if they are finding pain when they are passing urine or if they are finding the strength of their urine stream getting weaker,” he adds.
“Or if they see blood in their urine.
“All of that needs to get checked out by a blood test and a physical examination.
“But men who have a family history of prostate cancer need to get checked out every year from the age of 50 onwards.”
Professor O’Sullivan said the “vast majority of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer survive it and live out their lives normally”.
“Prostate cancer is not necessarily a death sentence.
“Even for the worst type, the more aggressive type of prostate cancer, we have a lot more treatments available now.
“So where the prognosis was very short maybe 10 years ago it is very much improved.
“Now men even with the worst type can live for many years with less symptoms, particularly pain.
“The improvements in the treatment not only extend life but they also extend quality of life.”
On a personal level Prof O’Sullivan knows when he is telling a patient and their family about a prostate cancer diagnosis “every detail and every word is important”.
“I always regard it as a very significant moment, especially when breaking bad news to family members who are going to live long after it.
“We try to do it in an environment that is safe and quiet when family can ask questions.
“I will have patients who ask me how long they have left. But there is no definite answer to that. The only time I can be sure is when they are in their last hours of life.
“You give them an idea of a percentage chance of living a certain time.
“But survival rates for prostate cancer have improved in Northern Ireland over the last number of years.
“I hear from patients as well that they really notice stories about prostate cancer in the media. Prostate cancer is getting its fair share of coverage now. And that can only be a good thing.”
In Northern Ireland the average age for developing prostate cancer is 68 years old.
He said around half of those who die from prostate cancer are over 80.
“But prostate cancer, if caught in the early stages can be treated,” he said. “We have led the way in prostate cancer treatments in the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre. I work between being a consultant in the City (Hospital) and a Professor in the university.
“I very much enjoy my job and I am totally inspired by prostate cancer patients and their passion. That is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
“All my patients are men and I am really figuring out what men are all about. I know it is difficult getting men to see their doctors in the first place. And I know it is even harder to get men to talk about their health. I think a lot of them find it difficult to ask for help about things that involve their ‘toilet bits’.
“A lot of the men affected are in their 60s and 70s, were born in hard times and in a very different environment. They have gone through proper austerity and not what we are going through.
“And they certainly won’t talk about their sexual function, which is another part of it. Sometimes sexual problems can be another symptom of prostate cancer. But I find that if you get a group of men in the right environment, the flood gates open and they talk.”
