Check Up - Prostate Cancer

It’s the size of a walnut, hidden behind the bladder and few of us really know why it’s there. Yet this little known gland – the prostate - causes almost a quarter of all male cancers. Being over fifty, Afro-Caribbean or having a family history of the disease increases your risk, as does a diet high in animal fat and low in fruit and vegetables. Often there are no symptoms, but when they do occur they may include urinating more frequently, pain and difficulty passing urine. Most prostate cancers stay dormant for many years, particularly in elderly men, but for some it’s more aggressive. Catching it early is the key to successful treatment. Barbara Myers puts listeners' questions about the condition, and how to treat it, to prostate cancer specialist Dr Chris Parker at the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital in London.