First Minister meets Sir Chris Hoy to discuss prostate cancer testing

First Minister John Swinney has met with Sir Chris Hoy and his wife to discuss tackling prostate cancer.

The champion cyclist was diagnosed with the disease last year, before finding out it was terminal.

He spoke to the First Minister – along with health secretary Neil Gray – in a roundtable at Swinney’s official residence Bute House in Edinburgh on Friday, along with his wife Lady Sarra Hoy and others who have experience of living with prostate cancer.

The Olympic gold medallist has swapped the track for activism since his diagnosis was made public, pushing both the UK and Scottish governments to do more to fight the disease, and raising awareness among men of the signs of the condition.

Earlier this year, Sir Chris urged ministers to change NHS guidance on the testing for prostate cancer.

Currently, men over the age of 50 are considered to be at the highest risk, with the health service urging them to get tested.

But Sir Chris has called for GPs to proactively contact men known to be at higher risk – for instance, due to a family history of prostate cancer – earlier to offer a test.

“I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 47. By this age, my prostate cancer was advanced and could have been progressing from when I was 45 or even younger,” he said.

“With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat. We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier and stop them getting the news I got.”

Speaking after the meeting, Laura Kerby, chief executive officer of Prostate Cancer UK, said the charity was “delighted to be working with Sir Chris Hoy and the Scottish Government”.

“In the months after Sir Chris shared his story, we saw a huge increase in men using our online risk checker and the number of men in Scotland starting treatment for prostate cancer reached an all-time high,” she added.

“We’re so grateful for the lifesaving impact he’s making and continues to make with events like his upcoming Tour De Four cycling challenge.

“But, today, men in Scotland are still more likely to get a late prostate cancer diagnosis than anywhere else in the UK, so it’s incredibly important that we do not take our feet off the pedals.

“We’re grateful to the Scottish Government and First Minister John Swinney MSP for assembling such a talented group of experts and leaders in this space today to continue the vital work to change this unacceptable situation.”

Alison Wright, chief executive officer of Prostate Scotland, said the meeting was an “important first conversation”.

“We hope it leads to ongoing collaboration and concrete steps to close detection gaps, so no man at risk is left behind,” she said.

“Far too many men – especially those with a family history, black African or Caribbean heritage, or inherited genetic mutations – are diagnosed late because testing was only prompted by symptoms.

“We advise that clear prompts for GPs be introduced to consider PSA testing based on risk factors alone, not just symptoms. Acting early will save lives.”