Sir Chris Hoy says public support has ‘lifted him' amid terminal cancer diagnosis
Sir Chris Hoy, 49, revealed he was diagnosed with terminal stage four prostate cancer in 2023 at age 47, which has since spread to his bones.
His diagnosis at a younger age than the typical NHS high-risk group (over 50) highlights his urgent call for earlier prostate cancer screening.
Sir Chris advocates for systemic changes to testing protocols, including proactive PSA blood tests for high-risk men like those with a family history or Black men.
Prostate Cancer UK supports his plea, urging the UK Government to overhaul NHS guidelines to encourage GPs to discuss testing with high-risk men from age 45.
He has launched the Tour de 4 charity cycling challenge to raise awareness and inspire action, with his advocacy already prompting many to use online risk checkers.
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Telegraph
25 minutes ago
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The Lords must now revise this dreadful assisted dying Bill
Britain is a less civilised country today. Seldom has the House of Commons enacted legislation with such potentially calamitous consequences as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which has passed its third reading by a majority of 314 to 291. The narrow margin of victory for the assisted dying Bill indicates that opinion had turned against the legalisation of euthanasia during the process of scrutiny, but not in sufficient numbers to defeat it. The only hope of mitigating its worst aspects now lies with the House of Lords. The Lords is a revising chamber and it should now do the job that the Commons failed to do: proper scrutiny. In this case, the revision required to make this legislation workable and safe will have to be radical. This Private Member's Bill was not in the Labour manifesto and so the Upper House is much less limited by convention in the scope of possible amendments. Peers are not generally eager to correct the follies of MPs, but this time their Lordships' duty is to make root and branch changes to the Bill, even if this risks confrontation with the Commons. In particular, the bishops of the Church of England have a responsibility to speak out much more clearly on a matter of such moral gravity. We know that in countries where euthanasia has been legalised, a large and growing proportion of all deaths are now assisted by doctors. In Canada, for example, some studies suggest up to 10 per cent of all lives will end in this way. Surely the Lords Spiritual should be leading the national conversation about what is likely to become reality here, too, in the very near future. Many people will rightly feel a sense of dread at the prospect of death on the NHS. When the new law takes effect in 2029, our health service will be obliged to offer assisted suicide as though it were just another form of care. Palliative care (already the Cinderella of the NHS) will now compete for resources with the new 'service'. As we report, assisted death is likely to overwhelm the NHS and finally break its budgets. Doctors will have to offer lethal drugs to any and all patients who are deemed to be terminally ill, as long as they have mental capacity. Those who meet the criteria could include patients with all kinds of disabilities, people with Down's Syndrome and those with eating disorders. The panels that will decide whether to authorise assisted dying do not need to have personal knowledge of the patient, nor to inform families or friends. They need only decide on the balance of probabilities that the patient is not being coerced. How did Britain find itself saddled with such a 'bad Bill', as the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it, on a matter of such cardinal importance? The Prime Minister must carry much of the blame. Unwilling to shoulder responsibility, he chose to pass the buck to Kim Leadbeater, a backbench MP with more zeal than sagacity. A Government Bill would have allowed much more time to examine the practical costs and benefits of shoehorning the provision of medicalised death into a service designed to preserve life. One of Sir Keir Starmer's predecessors, Gordon Brown, rightly observed that in the name of autonomy the Bill sets up a false choice. Patients who request assisted dying will in future have a legal right to receive it, 'without guaranteeing anything approaching an equivalent right to high-quality palliative care for those close to death', he said. The refusal of the Commons to acknowledge this glaring injustice now places the onus on the Lords to enable physicians to offer terminal patients a genuine choice. Whatever one's views about the principle of assisted dying, this Bill is a case of legislating in haste and repenting at leisure. Posterity will have to live with its lasting impact on the relationship between the public and the medical profession. But it is not too late for peers to remedy some of the Bill's flaws.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Chris Hoy calls for systemic change in testing for prostate cancer
Six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy has called for systemic change in the ways men get tested for prostate cancer. The 49-year old cyclist was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2023 and was told last year that it has spread to his bones and is terminal. NHS guidance says men over the age of 50 are at highest risk of developing prostate cancer, but Sir Chris wants to help men get screened earlier. He said: 'I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 47. By this age, my prostate cancer was advanced and could have been progressing from when I was 45 or even younger. 'With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat. We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier, and stop them getting the news I got.' One option is a PSA blood test which checks the level of prostate-specific antigens in the blood, A high reading may be a sign of a prostate condition. NHS guidance says these tests are not routinely used as they are not reliable, but men over 50 can ask GPs for one. Sir Chris's comments came after Prostate Cancer UK urged the UK Government for an overhaul of NHS guidelines to encourage GPs to proactively speak to men at high risk from 45 years old. #ProstateCancer has become the most common cancer in England. However, for a disease that affects 1 in 8 men, there's still no screening programme and outdated NHS guidelines prevent lifesaving conversations with men at highest risk. ➡️ Read more: — Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) January 28, 2025 According to the charity, around one in eight men in the UK will get prostate cancer, which occurs when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way and, if not detected early, risks spreading. Sir Chris added: 'I believe men at highest risk, for example men with a family history like me or black men, should be contacted by their GP earlier on to discuss a simple PSA blood test that can check for signs of prostate cancer. Then if there are any issues, they can get it treated it at an earlier stage. 'I've told my story to help raise awareness about the most common cancer in men and get more thinking about their risk and what they can do, but it shouldn't all be men's responsibility. 'I've faced many challenges in my life, and going public with my prostate cancer diagnosis was certainly one of them. 'I've been incredibly lucky to have so much support from my family, friends and the general public. The kindness has lifted me up and given me a sense of purpose, and I'm committed to taking that forward and using my platform to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men and help more men at risk to come forward and get tested.' The Scottish cyclist has launched his own charity cycling challenge, Tour de 4, with the aim of changing perceptions around stage four cancer. The challenge will take place on September 7 in Glasgow with a final registration phase open for riders to sign up. Speaking about Sir Chris, Laura Kerby, chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK, said: 'His bravery and tireless work to raise awareness has already made a huge impact. 'In just a few months after Sir Chris went public with his diagnosis last year, over 286,000 people used our online risk checker to learn more about the disease, find out their own risk and learn what they can choose to do about it. 'His bravery has inspired so many men to take action, and he has undoubtedly saved lives. 'One in eight men will get prostate cancer. The earlier it's found, the easier it is to treat — but there's currently no screening programme in the UK. So if, like Sir Chris, you have a family history of the disease, or if you're black, we strongly encourage you to speak to your GP about testing from the age of 45. 'We don't think it's right that the responsibility is all on men's shoulders, so we're calling on the Health Secretary to overhaul outdated NHS guidelines so that GPs are empowered to actually start conversations with these men at highest risk.' A Government spokesperson said: 'This Government has been clear we would like to see screening in place but the decision must be evidence-led, which is why the UK National Screening Committee is looking at this as a priority – including reviewing the evidence for screening men with a family history of prostate cancer. 'While the review is taking place we are getting on with improving cancer treatment and prevention, as well as funding tens of millions of pounds of research.'
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Chris Hoy calls for systemic change in testing for prostate cancer
The 49-year old cyclist was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2023 and was told last year that it has spread to his bones and is terminal. NHS guidance says men over the age of 50 are at highest risk of developing prostate cancer, but Sir Chris wants to help men get screened earlier. He said: 'I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 47. By this age, my prostate cancer was advanced and could have been progressing from when I was 45 or even younger. 'With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat. We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier, and stop them getting the news I got.' One option is a PSA blood test which checks the level of prostate-specific antigens in the blood, A high reading may be a sign of a prostate condition. NHS guidance says these tests are not routinely used as they are not reliable, but men over 50 can ask GPs for one. Sir Chris's comments came after Prostate Cancer UK urged the UK Government for an overhaul of NHS guidelines to encourage GPs to proactively speak to men at high risk from 45 years old. #ProstateCancer has become the most common cancer in England. However, for a disease that affects 1 in 8 men, there's still no screening programme and outdated NHS guidelines prevent lifesaving conversations with men at highest risk. ➡️ Read more: — Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) January 28, 2025 According to the charity, around one in eight men in the UK will get prostate cancer, which occurs when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way and, if not detected early, risks spreading. Sir Chris added: 'I believe men at highest risk, for example men with a family history like me or black men, should be contacted by their GP earlier on to discuss a simple PSA blood test that can check for signs of prostate cancer. Then if there are any issues, they can get it treated it at an earlier stage. 'I've told my story to help raise awareness about the most common cancer in men and get more thinking about their risk and what they can do, but it shouldn't all be men's responsibility. 'I've faced many challenges in my life, and going public with my prostate cancer diagnosis was certainly one of them. 'I've been incredibly lucky to have so much support from my family, friends and the general public. The kindness has lifted me up and given me a sense of purpose, and I'm committed to taking that forward and using my platform to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men and help more men at risk to come forward and get tested.' The Scottish cyclist has launched his own charity cycling challenge, Tour de 4, with the aim of changing perceptions around stage four cancer. The challenge will take place on September 7 in Glasgow with a final registration phase open for riders to sign up. Speaking about Sir Chris, Laura Kerby, chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK, said: 'His bravery and tireless work to raise awareness has already made a huge impact. 'In just a few months after Sir Chris went public with his diagnosis last year, over 286,000 people used our online risk checker to learn more about the disease, find out their own risk and learn what they can choose to do about it. 'His bravery has inspired so many men to take action, and he has undoubtedly saved lives. 'One in eight men will get prostate cancer. The earlier it's found, the easier it is to treat — but there's currently no screening programme in the UK. So if, like Sir Chris, you have a family history of the disease, or if you're black, we strongly encourage you to speak to your GP about testing from the age of 45. 'We don't think it's right that the responsibility is all on men's shoulders, so we're calling on the Health Secretary to overhaul outdated NHS guidelines so that GPs are empowered to actually start conversations with these men at highest risk.' A Government spokesperson said: 'This Government has been clear we would like to see screening in place but the decision must be evidence-led, which is why the UK National Screening Committee is looking at this as a priority – including reviewing the evidence for screening men with a family history of prostate cancer. 'While the review is taking place we are getting on with improving cancer treatment and prevention, as well as funding tens of millions of pounds of research.'
