Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison is raising awareness of prostate cancer in the wake of his own diagnosis and treatment.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023, and underwent 20 rounds of external beam radiation last summer before being declared cancer-free in December last year.
He said: “Being diagnosed with prostate cancer was a life-changing moment for me. My father had an enlarged prostate so I was aware of the symptoms and what to look out for. I started noticing something may be wrong when I was getting up multiple times during the night to go to the toilet, and once noticed blood in my urine.
“Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in England, and one in eight men will be diagnosed with it. Early diagnosis can save lives.
“I can not stress enough the importance of regular check-ups and using tools like the Prostate Cancer UK online risk checker, which can assess a man’s risk in just 30 seconds” (available at prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker).
Prostate cancer often presents no symptoms in its early stages, making it crucial for men to be aware of their risk factors. Men over 50, black men, and those with a family history of prostate cancer, or ovarian cancer are at higher risk.
In the Humber region, more than 11,000 men are living with or after prostate cancer, with more than 1,100 new diagnoses each year. More than 1 in 4 of these men are diagnosed at Stage 4, when the cancer is incurable.
Jonathan added: “The way prostate cancer is diagnosed today is safer than ever before. I attended my GP for a simple PSA blood test, a process that was not at all invasive, which I think is important to stress. Many fear they will need a rectal examination and this is not the case, don’t leave it until it is too late. I attended Castle Hill Hospital who were outstanding, where I had an MRI scan to confirm the diagnosis and to look at my options for treatment. I was shocked at the dozens of men sat in the waiting room at all of my appointments, who were receiving the same treatment as me.
“This diagnosis weighed heavy, not only on myself, but my family, friends and colleagues. My wife and children were particularly worried, and I will be forever thankful for their sake that I was diagnosed early and it was treatable. If you are worried about a male in your life who may be experiencing symptoms, please encourage them to go and get checked, it could quite literally save their life.
“I am so relieved to be out the other side of this, and feel extremely lucky that I was diagnosed early enough to get treatment. I urge all men to take this small step for their health, for their life and for their family.”
Chiara De Biase, Director of Health Services, Equity & Improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “The good news is the earlier you find prostate cancer, the easier it is to treat — and an earlier diagnosis could save your life. Most men with early-stage prostate cancer don’t get any symptoms, so instead of looking for signs of being unwell, it’s vital you know your risk of getting it and what you can do about it.
“If you’re a man over 50, you are at risk of getting prostate cancer and have the right to ask your GP for a simple PSA blood test. If you’re Black or you have a family history of prostate cancer, you have an even higher risk and we recommend you talk to your GP about testing from the age of 45.
MEANWHILE, in May Lincolnshire’s Freemasons will be funding testing for their members for the second successive year, working with the charity CHAPS. The first testing session discovered problems for more than 11% of those tested, proving what Chiara De Biase says about being symptom-free. One Freemason felt fine, but was tested anyway, and discovered he was suffering from an aggressive form of prostate cancer, requiring urgent surgery – which he’s in no doubt saved his life.
