A PROSTATE screening event in Ipswich, led by Cancer Support Suffolk, tested 122 men for prostate cancer – with 11 of them returning ‘abnormal PSA results’.

The test results returned from the Ipswich Hospital laboratories following the event in February are a stark reminder that screening plays a vital role in early diagnosis and cure for men aged over 40, no matter how ‘well’ they have previously felt.

Organisers believe the results will save lives through early detection preventing the disease from developing silently to an advanced stage making cure impossible.

Of further alarm for those staging this important educational day, was the fact that some seven GP surgeries around Ipswich were cited by the test recipients as having previously ‘refused’ to provide PSA tests.

With the help of CHAPS Charity, a local and UK-wide Prostate Cancer Screening provider, Cancer Support Suffolk was able to run a busy awareness raising event at Ipswich’s Venue 16, coinciding with Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Also involved in support and advice on the day was the East Suffolk Prostate Cancer Support Group, which provides a vital source of information and befriending to families in the county affected by prostate cancer.

The event was timely as prostate cancer is receiving a great deal of attention nationally, with the call for more men to have access to PSA tests.

Despite prostate cancer being the most common male cancer, there is currently no national NHS screening programme for the disease.

Mark Murphy, CEO of Cancer Support Suffolk, said: “To see so many men turning up to our World Cancer Day event for a PSA test was a fantastic outcome for us, because anything we can do to make men more aware of their health status is a great thing.

“Our collaboration with CHAPS has proven that there is a clear need for greater availability of testing, and certainly, with the results we have seen and the things we have heard from attendees about their personal experiences at GP surgeries, there are clearly more conversations to be had.

“I have spoken countless times to men who, if they had not been screened in this way, would not have known they were at early stages of the disease – and that intervention is really vital. It saves lives.”

He added: “It’s clear to all of us at the charity that events like ours are essential, so we’ll certainly be returning with this event and other awareness activities like this, to ensure the message stays out there and that men get greater access to life-saving screening.”

Chris Booth, Clinical Director at CHAPS said: “Prostate Cancer is now the commonest major cancer in UK men and the second commonest cancer killer now causing 57,000 new cases and 13,000 deaths each year. A national screening programme could halve this death rate.

“Prostate Cancer usually grows slowly and causes no symptoms till it has spread. That is why screening needs to be done before symptoms arise.

As 1 in 4 men with an abnormal PSA will have Prostate Cancer, this event could potentially have saved three or four lives through early detection of this silent killer.”

Prostate cancer is a significant cause of premature death among men in the UK contributing to the total of 70,000 men who die prematurely each year; this is one and a half times the rate for women.

Many of these deaths are preventable and prostate cancer is a significant contributor to these unnecessary deaths.

Sonia Shelcott, COO at CHAPS Charity said: “With over 50 screening events already planned this year across the UK, we are proud that our risk-based Screening Programme is one of the most advanced in the UK and has been adopted by most major UK screening charities”.

“Early detection significantly improves survival rates and outcomes, therefore the need for screening is of the utmost importance and we can’t have PSA testing for our commonest cancer subjected to a postcode lottery!”

For more information about further events run by Cancer Support Suffolk, go to https://www.cancersupportsuffolk.co.uk/

To find out more about Prostate Cancer Screening and Support www.chaps.uk.com