Alex, who is one of our WONDERFUL Trustees, talks to us about his BRCA+ diagnosis and his risks of prostate cancer. BRCA is still predominantly associated with breast and ovarian cancer, with a huge focus on women – Alex challenges this and encourages more men to be aware of their health risks associated with BRCA+.
March is ovarian cancer awareness month, it’s a great time for women to stop and reflect on their gynaecological health. For men March raises a similar and perhaps equally overlooked problem – prostate cancer awareness.
Men are typically pretty good at avoiding talking, thinking or acting on health-related activities, especially when it concerns ‘down there’ *1, but there is a real need for this mentality to change. Despite young men dying every day from prostate cancer *2, only recently steps are being taken to remove the taboo from talking about prostate cancer. The amazing work of organisations such as Prostate Cancer UK *3 and the Errol McKellar Foundation *4 have been promoting mobile blood tests, regular screening, and education, especially for men of Afro-Caribbean decent. But is this enough to mobilise the stereotypically stoic generational male to go and get their bits looked at?
I’m not saying that I approach my health differently and, if you’re like me, you probably only considered prostate cancer in passing, a problem for older dudes. That is until it was thrust into my conscious through a series of fateful events – and some gentle prodding from the lady-folk in my life. First, my mother died of a rare ovarian cancer (primary peritoneal), having been recently confirmed BRCA2 positive (BRCA+). Next my sister, also BRCA+, embarked on her mastectomy journey. In solidarity (and as BRCA mutations run in families) I also got tested. Bit of a shock to get a positive diagnosis, but not as dangerous for a man, right? (That typical male denialism again!) Well, yes and no.
No, I don’t have ovaries and breasts, red-flags to BRCA related cancer susceptibility. But yes, male breast tissue can develop and become cancerous, particularly in BRCA+ men. Skin cancer risk is increased, liver cancer more so and prostate cancer often occurs earlier and is much more dangerous than a non BRCA2+ve man *5. On top of this, most men aren’t screened for BRCA mutation, even when there’s evidence of inheritable cancer in their family. Generally, prostate cancer screening for men begins at 50 on the NHS; I’m not convinced this is early enough. Having recently listened to Errol McKellar himself discuss the dangers of prostate cancer and being tested, I decided that (at the age of 35) I should maybe try and start my screening early.
Now, I have a secret weapon – I’m no stranger to having strange doctors shove things up my arse, due to previous medical complications (I’ll not bore you with the details). So armed with knowledge, drive and a steel bum, I called the GP. The conversation was predictable;
‘Oh, you’re only 35. Sorry that’s far too young for a potentially invasive screen’.
‘Ok, but I’m BRCA2+, the risk occurs earlier – when should I start’
‘Good question…I don’t actually know’.
Although the answer to this was a mystery to myself and the GP, we later discovered the original genetic councillor had suggested to book in at the age of 39 (I probably missed this with the surge of emotion I had to suppress when taking the phone-called during a work lunch). This is unless, of course, I develop any concerning symptoms…
So, trusting the doctors – (hopefully) more knowledgeable than myself – I will eagerly await my 39th birthday! The greatest present I can give myself on the precipice of my 4th decade -and in some way I think it’s from my mum and sister too – is to start a new journey with my health as the top priority. I can’t provide a solution for you to take your health seriously when it comes to cancer, but I think it is important to highlight that prostate cancer kills men younger than me. I just hope I can inspire you to think about getting checked.
References
1 doi.org/10.12968/pnur.2009.20.6.42558
4 www.theerrolmckellarfoundation.com/
5 https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2012.43.1882
Link to Errol’s podcast https://thepodbarber.com/2021/12/21/prostate-cancer-the-silent-killer-with-errol-mckellor/
A BIG thank you to Alex, our first male VIP blogger. It is so important to be aware of the risks to men – and for us to challenge the taboo. People should not be dying due to embarrassment of being checked. Comment, Like and Share 🙂 x
