Mark Hunter MP joins fight to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer

10.34.37am GMT Wed 21st Mar 2007

Mark supports the work to raise awareness of Prostrate Cancer in a reception at Westminster

Local MP, Mark Hunter, today joined the fight to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the number one form of cancer diagnosed in men and also a major killer, with over 10,000 men a year dying from the disease.

One of the reasons it is a major killer is because men are unaware of the symptoms of the cancer. These can include: needing to urinate often especially at night, difficulty in starting to urinate, straining to urinate or taking a long time to finish, and pain when urinating or ejaculating. Other, less common symptoms that may be prostate cancer are: pain in lower back, hips or pelvis, or blood in the urine (this is unusual). While these symptoms may be indicative of other conditions, men are often too embarrassed to go to the doctor about the issue, meaning that every year Prostate Cancer kills many more people than it needs to.

Speaking at an event organised by the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action to mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, Mark Hunter MP said, "Prostate cancer has been a taboo subject for too long. As with other cancers, patients who are diagnosed earlier have a greater range of treatment options. That is why it is so important that raise awareness of this major killer. I want to encourage all men in Cheadle to be aware of their prostate, what it does and what can go wrong. If they are concerned, they should be seeking help from a health care professional."