Anglim Private Health is a private GP surgery in Bury St Edmunds, we aim to make it simple for people to book face to face GP appoinmtnets, including early, late and weekend appointments.
All of us at Anglim Private Health are saddened to hear Sir Chris Hoy’s recent announcement about prostate cancer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4dr9xdxgro
As a result we have brought forward our planned prostate PSA screening offer from November to start now. November is Movember where a focus is placed on men’s health, in particular prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health. Our prostate cancer screening offer will run from now until the end of November.
Through that period we are offering no consultation charge for people seeking prostate cancer screening through our service. Normally we would charge a consultation charge (£130) and blood test/lab charge (£48) but until the end of November we can organise a discussion regarding prostate cancer screening for free and if you would like to go ahead with the blood test you would just pay the blood test/lab charge, meaning a total of £48. We will offer this for men over the age of 50 and from the age of 45 for men with a family history of prostate cancer, men with a family history of ovarian cancer and black men.
You can also access PSA screening for free via your NHS GP surgery.
What is prostate cancer?
The prostate gland sits just below the bladder. It’s purpose is to produce fluid which nourishes and transports sperm. Prostate cancer occurs when one of those cells has a genetic mutation and then replicates itself repeatedly. It can cause a lump that like any cancer can grow, spread, make people feel unwell and eventually cause death.
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
The difficulty with prostate cancer is many of the symptoms crossover with symptoms related to the normal and expected enlargening of the prostate as we get older. Both the normal enlargening of the prostate and prostate cancer can cause urine flow to be less powerful, incomplete emptying of the bladder, waking up at night time to pass urine and having to return to pass urine quickly. The more specific symptoms of prostate cancer are blood in the urine (also bladder and kidney cancer), unexpected weight loss and atypical pain in the bones. If you have any of the more specific symptoms of prostate cancer you should see a GP urgently for investigation.
Why do I need screening if I have no symptoms?
The aim of screening is to pick up cancers as early as possible. If you pick up cancers before significant symptoms have appeared they are more likely to be curable. Screening programmes are designed for people without symptoms with an aim of picking up cancers early.
Are there any downsides to the test?
Like all interventions there are some downsides and these will be discussed in detail when you attend for screening. With prostate cancer screening there are two major downsides:
- Many will have a high PSA and then subsequent tests will be normal causing stress, taking time and causing some discomfort from the additional tests.
- Some men will be diagnosed with a less aggressive form of prostate cancer. Instead of treatment this may just require a lifetime of close monitoring to make sure it doesn’t become aggressive. If it remains non-aggressive for the rest of your lifetime, it may well have been better to never find out.
How is the test done? Will I need a prostate examination?
The main part of the test is a blood test, taken from your arm with a small needle. A little uncomfortable but not too bad. You may be offered a prostate examination as part of the screening process, but having that examination is entirely optional. There is a concern that many men choose not to attend for prostate screening because they do not want an examination. But the most recent advice is having the examination is totally optional and we are happy to do the blood test without the examination if that is preferred.
What will happen with the test results?
After you have had the test you will be emailed or called with the results. If the result is normal you can be reassured and plan when to have the test next; that will be discussed with you and depends on your risk factors.
If the result is abnormal we will disucss your options with you. It is likely to involve referral to a prostate specialist (urologist) for further tests. An abnormal test does not automatically mean you have cancer, in fact three out of four with a slightly raised PSA will not have cancer, but it does mean you need further tests.
There are many men with a borderline or slightly raised PSA, it can be difficult to decide what to do with these results. At Anglim Private Health we have the option of further risk assessment blood tests which can help direct us with that choice. Those tests are not automatically available on the NHS.
Are there any other ways to screen for cancer?
The biggest recent breakthrough in cancer screening is Trucheck cancer testing. This is a blood test which screens for circulating cancer tumour cells and if found identifies the site of the cancer. It is done through a simple blood test which is sent to their specialist lab and analysed over 3 weeks. The key advantage of this test is it tests for a broad range of cancer. This includes prostate cancer and the rest of the big four, breast, lung and colorectal cancers. It also screens for the difficult to identify cancers, which often have the worst survival because they are picked up late, like pancreatic and ovarian cancer.
The Trucheck cancer screening test is expensive, at £1195. But it is available now for people who would like to go ahead. If you are a self employed or a small business owner, Trucheck can be provided as part of an annual healthcheck through your business.
What do I do if I want to go ahead with the prostate cancer screening?
Just call us on 01284 245665 or email doctors@anglimhealth.co.uk and we will book you in. You can also book online here, change the appointment type to Prostate (PSA) Screening. We are currently able to see patients on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Depending on uptake we may have to limit appointments so they do not interfere with our core service to our members. Please also call if you want to know about any of the services we provide at Anglim Private Health.
Dr Anglim is availabile for talks about prostate cancer, prostate cancer screening or a range of other health issues. If you run an organisation which would like to host a talk please contact us.