Lord Cameron reveals he had prostate cancer

David Cameron, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. After being diagnosed himself, Lord Cameron, 59, told the Times newspaper that his wife had insisted that he get a check-up. Earlier this year, a Tory peer underwent a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, followed by an MRI scan and a biopsy. He was then treated with focal therapy, which is targeted at the area where the tumor is present and uses ultrasound waves to destroy cancer cells. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the United Kingdom, with around 55,000 new cases each year.

PSA test flaws

In Lord Cameron's case, a PSA test looks for proteins associated with prostate cancer, and the result was positive. He told the newspaper that he wanted to use his celebrity to help Prostate Cancer Research, a charity that places Mr Jones, the founder of Soho House, as a trustee, so screening could be conducted to high-risk men. The cancer is most common in older people, particularly among males over 75 years old. Cases in the under-50s are rare. It is also more common in black men.

I don't particularly like discussing my personal intimate health problems, but I feel I should,

Lord Cameron said.

Let's be honest. Men aren't very good at discussing their health. We tend to put things off.

I sort of expected this to you,the man said,and you should lend your voice to it.

I would feel sorry if I didn't come forward and say that I've had this experience,

Lord Cameron, Conservative prime minister from 2010 to 2016, and Rishi Sunak's later foreign minister, told the Times.

I had a scan. It made me discover something that was wrong. It gave me the opportunity to investigate it.

Due to questions regarding the reliability of PSA tests, there is currently no screening service for prostate cancer in the United Kingdom. A high PSA does not always mean cancer. For example, if an infection exists, it could go up. Currently, males over the age of 50 can order a PSA test, which looks for abnormally high levels of protein in the blood, but this is unreliable, with many prostate cancers that do not need medical attention and others that do, as well as those that do. Some men with a raised PSA may have prostate cancer that would not have caused issues or needed treatment, causing unnecessary anxiety and further investigation.

Screening question

The peer's participation comes as the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) is set to announce its decision on whether there are sufficient reasons to recommend the introduction of a national prostate cancer screening service. Ministers will then decide whether or not to follow the instructions. Winter was acrucial week

for Mr Jones as the NSC began to weigh up the costs and benefits. He advised NSC members to make

the right decision

by approving the first screening roll out for black men and those with a history of prostate cancer before expanding it to all. In the radio interview that triggered Lord Cameron's test, he said he chose prostate cancer

because I was very lucky and I felt everyone should have the privilegeof surviving the disease.I play a small part of this and I'm sure [that the interview made a difference] but it shouldn't be me going into radio studios talking about it,

he said. Last week, a big prostate cancer screening trial was launched in the United States. It is designed to determine the right way to diagnose the disease by comparing it to current NHS diagnostic procedures, which may include blood tests and biopsies. Prostate Cancer UK is funding the initiative jointly. Lord Cameron's director of health services, Chiara De Biase, lauded him for sharing his experience and raising

vital curiosity.

Every year, we lose 12,000 dads, brothers, sons, and relatives to this disease.

We've hit a turning point in the United Kingdom, with too many men dying from a curable disease,De Biase said.Prostate cancer is the last major cancer without a screening service, and we need to change right now. The National Institute for Health and Care Research, the other funder of the trial, said the findings

may help shift the evidence in favour of screening in as little as two years

if the committee opts against a national rollout this week. According to Prostate Cancer UK, one in every eight men will experience prostate cancer in their lives, with studies indicating that it has outstripped breast cancer as the most common diagnosed disease in the United Kingdom. Following his own diagnosis, Scottish cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy called for more younger men to be screened for prostate cancer last year. Sir Chris, 49, has advanced cancer that has spread to his bones and is terminal. It was discovered after a routine scan for shoulder pain revealed a tumor. The Olympic champion said it was the biggest shock of my life when speaking to the BBC last November about his illness. My outlook on life has shifted dramatically, he said. I'm more grateful for each day as a result of each day.