Australian men of any age are expected to soon be able to access blood testing for prostate cancer under significant changes to the way the disease is diagnosed.
New early detection guidelines will reportedly make it clear that doctors should not refuse a PSA test to any man who asks for one, no matter his age or risk profile.
Craig Watts, 61, learned he had prostate cancer only four days after his mother’s funeral. He had not noticed any symptoms before the diagnosis.
“She sort of said to me, you’ve got advanced prostate cancer and it’s spread through your body,” Watts told 7 News.
Now, his focus is on the future. “I want to see my kids grow up. I … (would) love to walk my daughter down the aisle and have grandkids.”
Former treasurer Wayne Swan, who has survived prostate cancer, has joined forces again with the surgeon who saved his life 25 years ago as part of the push for reform.
“It was caught just in the nick of time. If I hadn’t been diagnosed when I was, I wouldn’t be here today,” Swan said.
Professor Peter Heathcote, a urologist, warned that once the illness moves beyond the prostate, treatment can no longer cure it. “Once prostate cancer has spread beyond the prostate, it is not curable,” urologist Professor Peter Heathcote said.
This year, more than 26,000 Australian men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Every day, 10 Australian men die from the disease.
Swan said the lack of comparable national support for prostate cancer screening is impossible to ignore. “The government spends a couple of hundred million dollars a year on breast cancer screening and nothing for prostate cancer,” Swan said.
He argued a broad screening approach could have a major impact. “If we have a screening program for, say, the over 40s or the over 50s, we can save tens of thousands of lives.”
Heathcote said men should not be put off by outdated fears about testing. “It’s a blood test. You don’t need to worry about a finger in your bum,” Heathcote said.
Watts also urged men not to delay. “No matter how big and strong you think you are, please get tested,” Watts said.
