\n
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSir Chris Hoy has issued a powerful plea for men to undergo prostate cancer screening, as he unveiled a significant project aimed at testing 25,000 people for the disease. <\/p>\n
The Olympic cycling legend, who recently revealed his own diagnosis of incurable prostate cancer, urged men across Scotland, particularly those over 40, to get a simple test, stating: “It could save your life.”<\/p>\n
One of Scotland and the UK\u2019s most decorated athletes, Sir Chris shared that his personal health battle has given him a “new purpose.” <\/p>\n
He launched the Scottish Prostate Cancer Initiative in Glasgow, a vital programme designed to screen 25,000 Scottish men. <\/p>\n
The initiative seeks to dramatically improve early detection and diagnosis rates, ultimately striving to save lives. Speaking to the Press Association, Sir Chris emphasised his clear and urgent message for men.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the most important thing is to explain that it\u2019s just a simple blood test,\u201d he said. \u201cWith a PSA [prostate specific antigen] test you\u2019re in and out of the doctor\u2019s in five minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy, it\u2019s simple, it\u2019s painless \u2013 and it could save your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>
Men in Scotland over 40 are being urged to sign up for a screening (Scottish Prostate Cancer Initiative\/PA)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe Olympian announced his diagnosis in October 2024 and said he had been given between two and four years to live.<\/p>\n
He spoke to reporters about how the disease had impacted him, saying: \u201cA stage four diagnosis changes your life drastically but I guess it\u2019s finding a new purpose, and today\u2019s event is all about trying to educate men about the importance of catching prostate cancer early.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly detection saves lives \u2013 that is the message to take away from today.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cI always assumed there would be some kind of symptoms or early-warning signs. My grandpa had prostate cancer, my dad had it, so I was aware of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut even then, we\u2019re always told it\u2019s 50 years and above, that it\u2019s an older man\u2019s disease, and it\u2019s slow-moving, and you\u2019ll get warning signs. That\u2019s not always the case. So, I think that that is the key thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sir Chris said the \u201cfantastic\u201d initiative was launched after figures showed some 35% of men in Scotland with prostate cancer were diagnosed when it was too late to be cured, compared to just 12.5 per cent in London.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>
(l to r) Kenny Logan, Sir Chris Hoy, Professor Sir Chris Evans and Sir Tom Hunter at the launch of the Scottish Prostate Cancer Initiative (Scottish Prostate Cancer Initiative)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nProfessor Sir Chris Evans, whose company EDX Medical Group is delivering the project, said he had already met with Scotland\u2019s Health Secretary, describing the meeting as \u201cvery, very positive\u201d and \u201cvery constructive\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they were quite encouraging of what we\u2019re doing and they will wait for the outcome, which they should,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The scientist said early detection was important for prostate cancer, both because it saved lives but it saves the Government money.<\/p>\n
He said a stage one diagnosis, which is curable, could cost thousands of pounds to treat while stage four, which is terminal, costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.<\/p>\n
Each man who participates in the initiative will be asked to give a simple blood sample to measure PSA levels with the results expected to be sent back within days.<\/p>\n
Prof Evans said some men in the pilot had already been shown to have the disease at late stages and will receive treatment.<\/p>\n
The aim of the study is to explore how the existing clinical pathway for detecting and treating prostate cancer can be improved.<\/p>\n
The findings of the study will be made available to NHS Scotland.<\/p>\n
Men can book a free PSA test from Tuesday nationwide at www.scottishprostate.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Sir Chris Hoy has issued a powerful plea for men to undergo prostate cancer screening, as he unveiled a significant project aimed at testing 25,000 people for the disease. The Olympic cycling legend, who recently revealed his own diagnosis of incurable prostate cancer, urged men across Scotland, particularly those over 40, to get a simple test, stating: “It could save your life.” One of Scotland and the UK\u2019s most decorated athletes, Sir Chris shared that his personal health battle has given him a “new purpose.” He launched the Scottish Prostate Cancer Initiative in Glasgow, a vital programme designed to screen 25,000 Scottish men. The initiative seeks to dramatically improve early detection and diagnosis rates, ultimately striving to save lives. Speaking to the Press Association, Sir Chris emphasised his clear and urgent message for men. \u201cI think the most important thing is to explain that it\u2019s just a simple blood test,\u201d he said. \u201cWith a PSA [prostate specific antigen] test you\u2019re in and out o…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13649"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}