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Family hit by cancer death launches fight to raise awareness

AN Edinburgh consultant and his wife have launched a new charity to raise awareness of prostate disease among men following a family tragedy.

Alison McNeill lost both her father and grandfather to prostate cancer, but neither men were told the disease can repeatedly occur among family members. The 40-year-old TV producer from South Queensferry now wants to ensure the same fate does not befall her young son Cameron - who was born just weeks before his grandfather died aged 58 - or thousands of other men across the country.

More than 30,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK, and about 10,000 will die of the disease.

At present, there are a number of support groups in Scotland for patients, but Mr and Mrs McNeill said very little is being done to raise awareness of the issue among the general population.

Alan McNeill, who is the consultant urological surgeon at the Western General Hospital, said he has been struck by how few men know about their prostate gland until they develop prostatic disease. He said some of the most tragic stories he hears are those of men with a family history of prostate cancer - including his late father-in-law Hilton McFetridge, who did not know to seek check-ups until it was too late.

Mrs McNeill, who comes from Belfast, said: “Losing my dad nine years ago was a very traumatic time for the family, but the most tragic part is that it perhaps could have been avoided.

“I was just about to give birth to his first grandchild, when he found out his prostate problems were terminal - I was crying between contractions.

“My dad was a typical man, who didn’t cross the GP’s door - he thought many of his symptoms were typical ageing symptoms.

“His father died when he was 69, but my dad didn’t know about familial links, and I wish there had been some sort of information system in place for him.

“My interest now is to protect Cameron - to make him aware of prostate diseases and give him the knowledge to be proactive.”

Incidence rates of prostate cancer are increasing significantly, but awareness is generally low.

The new organisation, Prostate Scotland, aims to run public-awareness campaigns and is raising funds to launch a website.

It aims to generate higher uptake on men’s health checks, expand patient support networks and be at the forefront of lobbying for improved investment into research, care standards and treatment developments.

Mr McNeill said: “We want to provide an information source for men through education and awareness. Through my job, I’ve dealt with cases where it emerged that a patient’s brother or father had prostate cancer, but nobody had put it in their head that they were at increased risk.”

The public launch of the charity will take place on March 16, with a national conference on prostate disease in partnership with The Royal Society of Medicine and The Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. Future fundraising events include a drinks reception, a dinner at Prestonfield House Hotel and a number of supporters will be taking part in the New York Tartan Week ten-kilometre run.

Prostate Scotland is raising money to create a website. Donations can be made by contacting the group at prostatescotland@btinternet.com The facts

Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in Scotland.

Millions of men in the UK have symptoms that could indicate prostate cancer, including urinating difficulties, difficulty having an erection, painful ejaculation, or frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or in the upper thigh areas.

Only men have a prostate gland, which is located just below the bladder. It stores and secretes a clear fluid that constitutes up to one-third of the volume of semen.

Prostate cancer rates have risen 9.5 per cent in the past ten years in Scotland, but a recent poll found that 89 per cent of people did not know the pros-tate’s main function and 66 per cent didn’t know where it was.