Badgemore Park Golf Club

THE club met at Badgemore Park Golf Club on September 14, the second meeting since the covid restrictions were eased.

The guest speaker was Dr Steve Allen who talked about prostate cancer.

Prior to his retirement he was a consultant at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and he now works with the charity Prostate Cancer UK.

The talk began with a video which explained what prostate cancer is and what it does to those men who contract it.

About one man in eight experiences the disease and it largely runs in the family. Dr Allen himself contracted prostate cancer 13 years ago and regrets taking no action for two years.

His advice is to act immediately. Symptoms are similar to those of breast cancer. The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut but it will grow as a man grows older. The disease can be very aggressive. When the gland’s outer shell leaks, the cancer spreads throughout the body, usually the spine.

Signs that the prostate is growing will be that there might be a need to urinate more than hitherto or that it might be difficult to relieve the bladder, at which point it is important to speak to the doctor.

At the same time, speak to sons and brothers and encourage them to seek medical advice. The symptoms do not mean that there is cancer in the prostate but there are tests which can confirm or deny the fact.

The blood test is named psa, which means prostate specific antigen. There is no “normal” psa reading.

Dr Allen concluded by repeating the plea that a man with symptoms should speak to his doctor with a view to having a test.

Roger Roberts