Thousands queue for free prostate cancer check

More than 2,000 men received a free blood test to screen for prostate cancer in a weekend event run by a volunteer group

Thousands of men queued for a free blood test to check for prostate cancer at the weekend.

The event, organised by a community volunteer group in Reading, resulted in more than 2,000 men receiving a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test administered by staff including nurses.

Consultant urologist Christopher Blick of the town’s Rutherford Cancer Centre said: ‘It is very important that men are aware of the risks of prostate cancer and when it is likely to occur.’

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‘While in most cases it will occur in later life, it is still possible for men in their fifties or even late forties to get prostate cancer.’

About 11,000 men die from the disease in the UK every year.

The event was organised by the Reading Lions Club and one man said a free test at a similar event last year revealed a problem with his PSA level.

‘The cancer was caught just in time’

Alan McMahon, from Berkshire, said: ‘When I received the result letter I was shocked to see that my PSA reading was abnormally high. I immediately contacted my GP and she referred me to a specialist.’

After a month of radiotherapy he was placed on a three-monthly hormone injection programme and his PSA reading is now virtually zero. Mr McMahon said: ‘It is not an exaggeration to say that the Lions have saved my life as the cancer was caught just in time before it spread.’

A PSA test may be available free on the NHS, but if done privately could cost about £140.

Find out more

PSA testing (NHS)

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