Prostate and testicular cancer survivors urge men to talk about ‘down there’

“Get to know your balls and your prostate.”

That is the advice from two survivors who want to raise awareness of the signs of testicular and prostate cancer.

Aaron Watson, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer aged 22, said men must not to be afraid of talking about “down there”.

Ken McBride said he had trouble peeing but did not recognise the classic symptom of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and it has been very much in the news after Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy announced his cancer had spread and was terminal.

Both Aaron and Ken said that seeking help early saved their lives, and they are speaking out to help turn the conversation about men’s health around.

Aaron, 44, said it began with a pain in one testicle and initially they thought it was a cyst.

But a tumour was actually found in the other testicle when he went to get checked out.

“It was a really difficult and scary time. I didn’t talk about those things,” he said.

“But now I would encourage all men if you’re experiencing pain, lumps, bumps, or anything unusual get checked out.”

He advised people to listen to the experts after his consultant told him that if they removed his testicle and not just the tumour, there was a 95% chance the cancer would not come back and 22 years later, it has not.

And despite being advised it might not be possible, he and his wife went on to have a second son after his treatment and recovery.

The Bangor businessman works with the charity, Friends Of The Cancer Centre, and its Talking Balls campaign, and he thinks humour is the key to get the conversation going.

“The Balls on the Falls has been a great conversation starter,” he said.

“On a social media post I advised men when they pass the balls on the Falls Road, to remember to check their own balls.”

Testicular cancer is highly treated if detected early.

In Northern Ireland, about 66 men are diagnosed each year, and on average, there is only one death per year.

Ken McBride, 63, knew things were not right when he had to go to the toilet five or six times a night but despite feeling the need to pee, he could not.

His treatment for prostate cancer, which had not spread, started immediately after his diagnosis.

The father of one is currently part of a cancer trial for the disease; as well as being on a new drug he is also regularly monitored with blood tests.

There is no single, diagnostic test for prostate cancer.

Doctors make a diagnosis based on various measures, including a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

PSA tests are not routinely used to screen healthy men for prostate cancer because the results can be unreliable.

Prof Joe O’Sullivan, a prostate oncologist at Queen’s University Belfast, said if caught early, prostate cancer was not a death sentence.

“Researchers and clinicians are working on ground-breaking research right now in Northern Ireland and not only our patients like Ken but patients elsewhere are benefiting,” he said.

The work at Queen’s has included a successful clinical trial which has shown how a new combination of radiotherapies has improved the treatment of very advanced prostate cancer.

The prostate is a small, walnut-size gland under the bladder and behind the penis.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men with about 1,300 men in Northern Ireland diagnosed annually.

While more than 280 men die every year from it, more than 12,000 men are living with it.

More than 98% cases develop in men aged 50 or older and the rate is greatest among men aged over 70.

Latest Northern Ireland Cancer Registry statistics reveal there was an increase in the proportion of prostate cancer cases who did not receive any treatment including surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy or hormone therapy, from 26% in 2018-2019 to 30% in 2020 and 33% in 2021 – this means more cases are being caught in the early stages.

Routine PSA testing is not offered on the NHS – men aged 50 or over can ask their GP for a test, even if they do not have symptoms.

Testing may be recommended if a man has symptoms such as:

• Peeing more than usual, having a sudden urge to pee or getting up often in the night to pee
• Blood in your pee
• Problems getting or keeping an erection

Though the NHS is review whether to change its advice on testing for prostate cancer in light of Sir Chris Hoy’s call for more younger men to be checked.