Sir Chris Hoy and Prostate Cancer

I find it irritating however that government has now decided to reassess the availability of PSA testing in young men with a family history of PCa because of Sir Chris Hoy. Why does it take the terminal diagnosis of a celebrity to make this change? Many of us have being saying this for years and utterly ignored. 

Well done Sir Chris  for being so open about his diagnosis.

Yes I agree,I find terminal is a nasty word and commonly used,aren't we all terminal?we all die at some stage.

I hear off the media he has been given 2 to 4 years I don't believe that,it will be at least 6.

The way I understood it there is a difference between incurable and terminal. Metastatic prostate cancer is generally incurable (although even that has been called into question in recent years, particularly as a result of improved scans) but modern treatments are so powerful that men can live for many many years with metastatic prostate cancer and still therefore end up dying of something else.

The outlook apparently depends not just on the degree of spread but even more so on the responsiveness of the cancer to hormone treatment and/or chemotherapy, and this seems to vary enormously across individuals. We don't know the details of Chris Hoy's situation. It is possible that he has misunderstood or that his doctor is not aware of how the general outlook for stage 4 prostate cancer differs from other cancers. But it is also possible that he is unfortunate enough to have a type of prostate cancer which is or has become hormone resistant and is not responding to chemotherapy. This may be be why they are being more pessimistic in his case. But either way of course, let's hope that he stays well for as long as possible.

I didn't realise that Andy Ripley had died of our disease. In a BBC interview he'd said when asked:

WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME CONDITION?

Everybody is different and they need to go their own way, their own route.

I would say to them not to give up their control - it is their cancer.

My life has been enhanced and since I had cancer, I have never loved so much or been loved so much.

Find out what you can about your cancer and make your choices.

Enjoy every day and remember life is wonderful and a thing of value.

My husband was told he couldn’t have radiation as he has multiple spread but he had a large area on his right hip which was causing him a so much pain and affecting his mobility so last year the oncologist finally gave him it, it hasn’t solved all the problems but it certainly sorted his hip 

hope all is well 

Ann 

KS25 When you have exhausted all the hormone treatments and chemotherapy isn’t working and scans show your cancer has metastasised to at least six areas of your body. You don’t misunderstand. You ask “ how long” … in our case the answer in July was two years. My heart goes out to Chris and his family and to anyone facing this devestating news. 

Really sad news, sure Sir Chris will have positive mental attitude in abundance.

Remember when I got diagnosed . Andy Ripley the Superstar Rugby Player who posted regularly on here  before his demise in 2010 was a tremendous ambassador for our Community and I read all his updates some years later .

Towards the end though the posts from his daughter were a harrowing read  but she said her dad felt it was important to keep them going.

Really hope Sir Chris gets a few more years, he really deserves it 

Edited by member 21 Oct 2024 at 08:30  | Reason: Not specified

In my young days I was a very keen cyclist and many years letter I suffered from serious prostatitis. It made life difficult from my fifties until I was diagnosed with cancer in my early seventies. I have a hypothesis, totally without any scientific evidence, that prostatitis being an inflammation of the prostate,  a continuous inflammation/irritation of the gland for many years could cause cancer. I have a friend who cycled regularly 5/10 miles a year in his fifties and sixties until his diagnosis of prostate cancer. Of course anecdotal evidence is something one could build a hypothesis which would require a serious scientific study.

Even if it were proved that cycling slightly increases the risk of prostate related disease, I think the exercise health benefits of the sport would outweigh that.

My first post on this.  So here goes!  

The tragic Chris Hoy news merits comment from me as the circumstances are very close to home.  I got a metastatic prostrate cancer diagnosis in August 2024.  8 on the Gleason scale.  In my pelvis and lower spine.  Going through all the treatments and chemo starts in 2 weeks.  Oh joy!! The diagnosis was discovered in a roundabout way from a routine MRI scan from what I thought was a torn hip ligament.  I wish Chris all the best and he is an inspiration to us all.  It was reading the piece on Sunday about him that I actually realised - after 6 weeks living with the diagnosis - that this for me is for real.  That this PC does happen to people.  Perhaps I’d been in denial since August!  

But one thing bothers me and I wonder if I’m alone here?  I’ve been a keen cyclist all my life.  Last year I cycled for a second time solo from Los Angeles to the Atlantic Ocean.  I don’t fall into any PC risk group apart from my age - 57.  No PC in the family.  But the link with cycling seems all too real.  Is more  research needed perhaps??  Something doesn’t sit comfortably.

Talking of which as this cancer impacts my pelvic bone I expect my next message on this will be to ask about cycling saddles!  

To conclude I have to say what an amazing website this is.  So much information which I found so useful.  Thank you. 

Anthony 

The full interview is on BBC this evening at 8pm. I think it will make interesting viewing.

OMG Adrian, it certainly was. Well worth watching.

Sir Chris Hoy….A True Legend!💪💪💪💪

 There are several Stage 4ers on here that have my utmost respect. Many candidly share the effect the disease has had on them and their loved ones. Their unedited diaries, tell it exactly as it.  I doff my cap to them all.👍

Edited by member 24 Nov 2024 at 10:50  | Reason: Additional text