The former Conservative prime minister, Lord David Cameron, has revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and received treatment earlier this year.
Speaking in an interview with The Times, Lord Cameron said he had been encouraged to have himself tested by his wife, Samantha Cameron, who had heard a radio interview with Nick Jones, the founder of private members’ club Soho House, discussing his own prostate test.
Lord Cameron said he underwent a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, a test which measures certain proteins associated with the cancer and can be used to detect the disease earlier than other screening methods.
After being diagnosed, the former PM received treatment to remove the prostate cancer in June, telling The Times he felt a “big relief” after the medical procedure.
ITV News understands doctors are confident the procedure was a success at removing the cancer cells, and that future checks will be required.
Lord Cameron told The Times he was speaking out about his health as he wanted to use his “platform” to support calls by those, including Prostate Cancer Research, to offer increased screening for the disease to high-risk men.
Speaking to the Times, Cameron said: “Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off. We’re embarrassed to talk about something like the prostate, because it’s so intricately connected with sexual health and everything else.
“I sort of thought, well, this has happened to you, and you should lend your voice to it.”
His own treatment included a new procedure involving needles and electric pulses to destroy cancer cells and whilst not only being less invasive, demonstrated how new technology could change the way this cancer is treated and screened.
Over 12,000 people die from prostate cancer in the UK every year, according to Cancer Research UK.
Lord Cameron’s announcement comes days after the first eligible men in the UK were invited to join a major trial testing the most promising screening techniques for the disease.
The Transform project will compare various screening methods to current NHS diagnostic processes – which can include blood tests and biopsies.
It will be delivered in partnership with the NHS through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which has committed £16 million in funding, with the remainder coming from charity Prostate Cancer UK.
The launch comes as the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) prepares to announce its decision on whether current evidence supports the introduction of screening for the disease.
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