'Fry and Turnbull effect' on prostate cancer
October 9, 2018 Comment(0)
Media captionStephen Fry: "It's a bit of a business having an operation like that"
Hospitals are seeing and treating more men with prostate cancer, partly thanks to celebrities raising awareness of the disease by speaking out about their own experiences, says the head of the NHS.
NHS chief Simon Stevens will today thank former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull and broadcaster Stephen Fry for the work they have done in urging men to come forward for help.
Both had treatment earlier this year.
Mr Stevens said they were "owed a debt of gratitude."
Latest figures show that from April to July 2018, 14,479 patients received treatment for a urological cancer – an increase of 3,929 (36%) compared to the same period in 2017.
Image caption Bill Turnbull
And there were 70,000 visits to the NHS website advice page on prostate cancer in March, a 250% increase from the monthly average of around 20,000.
Mr Stevens said there would be £10m of additional investment for hospitals to increase their capacity to treat more patients with the disease.
"This additional investment will help ensure the NHS can manage this jump in demand, so that all people with suspected cancer are tested and treated quickly," he said.
The jump in demand also coincided with media coverage about the number of people dying from prostate cancer overtaking deaths from breast cancer.
There can be few symptoms of prostate cancer in the early stages, and because of its location most symptoms are linked to urination:
needing to urinate more often, especially at night
needing to run to the toilet
difficulty in starting to urinate
weak urine flow or taking a long time while urinating
feeling your bladder has not emptied fully
Men with male relatives who have had prostate cancer, black men and men over 50 are at higher risk of getting the disease.
Parkinson's disease 'may' start in gut
Image copyright Getty Images The brain disease Parkinson's may actually start in the depths of the digestive system, US scientists say. In their study, people whose appendix had been removed were less likely to develop the neurodegenerative disease. And the appendix, long thought of as pointless in the human body, contained the substance that kills […]
Experts attack health agency's ties to drink industry
Image copyright ThinkstockImage caption There are concerns about the high level of alcohol consumption in the UK Dozens of public health experts have told Public Health England (PHE) they oppose its decision to work with a charity funded by the alcohol industry. In a letter seen by BBC News, they say the tie-up "will significantly […]
Pubs in danger: Six charts on how the British drink
Image copyright Getty Images Across the UK, people are spending more money on gin and craft beer, and there are more breweries open today than there were in the 1930s. But 18 pubs across the country closed every week in the second half of 2017, according to The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra). So how […]
Sport used as a weapon against Essex gangs
Virgin Galactic to reach space in 'weeks not months'