A tech entrepreneur has opened up about his prostate cancer diagnosis after Sir Chris Hoy revealed his own cancer was terminal.
Following the six-time Olympic cycling champion鈥檚 shock announcement, the number of NHS searches for prostate cancer symptoms has increased eight-fold.
Andy Nicol is the founder and managing director of Manchester-based web and digital transformation agency and is due to undergo surgery this week.
The 50-year-old said his diagnosis 鈥榗ame out of nowhere鈥� as he had no symptoms and regularly competed in marathons and Ironman competitions across Europe.
鈥淚 didn’t feel ill,鈥� Nicol explained. 鈥淚 run 50km a week, eat healthily, and I’m generally in good shape. But I decided to get a health MOT shortly after my 50th birthday, just to be safe.
鈥淚 submitted some blood samples and was checked for about 30 conditions. The one that came back as a cause for concern was my PSA.鈥�
PSA is a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer and Nicol鈥檚 result came back as 3.8.
Nicol added: 鈥淚t鈥檚 worth noting that PSA tests aren鈥檛 always reliable, and GPs can be reluctant to offer them.
鈥淢y own GP sent me away a few years ago, in spite of my family history, telling me not to worry. Having the results of my home testing kit might have helped get the conversation started this time.鈥�
He emailed the report to his GP who arranged a further PSA test which came back as 4.3.
The entrepreneur added: 鈥淭he next step was an MRI scan which didn鈥檛 seem to worry anyone too much, and as I was heading for the door the doctor asked if there was a family history of prostate cancer.
鈥淚 explained that my Dad (John) had died of prostate cancer in 2008 at the age of 62, so they casually suggested that if I wanted more certainly I could go for a biopsy.
鈥淭he biopsy found traces of cancer in 14 out of 20 samples so then the conversation turned to treatments, including active monitoring, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a prostatectomy, which is the surgical procedure to remove the prostate gland.鈥�
Nicol said the efficacy, risks and side effects are best discussed with a professional, but he opted for a prostatectomy.
He acknowledges that treatment decisions are personal but felt, given his relatively young age, surgery felt like the best way to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
鈥淢y father died of prostate cancer,” he said. 鈥淗e must have had it for years without knowing. I didn’t want to take any chances.”
Like the case Sir Chris Hoy, Nicol said he hoped his case would encourage other men to get checked.
鈥淒on’t wait for symptoms,” he said. “Get checked. It could save your life.
鈥淎side from a few hours at the doctors here and there, and one overnight stay in hospital planned after the surgery, it鈥檚 been pretty much business as usual.
鈥淪o far, it鈥檚 not affected either my running, or my running of the business. The NHS has scheduled my operation for Friday, so I鈥檓 looking forward to a rest over the weekend, and getting back to work next week.
鈥淚f anyone has any questions about prostate cancer (or running, cycling or tech), my DMs are always open.鈥�
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