Former Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Lord Cameron said he found out about the diagnosis after his wife Samantha urged him to have tests.
The former Conservative leader, who is now cancer free, said he first found out after a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.
He is now supporting a fresh push to offer prostate cancer screening to men most at risk.
He said: “You always hope for the best.You have an MRI scan with a few black marks on it.
“You think, ‘Ah, that’s probably OK.’ But when the biopsy comes back, and it says you have got prostate cancer?
“You always dread hearing those words.
“Then literally as they’re coming out of the doctor’s mouth you’re thinking, ‘Oh, no, he’s going to say it. He’s going to say it. Oh God, he said it.'”
Former Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron revealed the diagnosis
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The ex-Tory leader has added his name to those calling for a national programme of targeted screening, alongside fellow former PM, Rishi Sunak.
Lord Cameron, who was Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016, believes could save countless lives among the 12,000 Brits who die each year from the UK’s deadliest male cancer.
He told The Times: “I would feel bad if I didn’t come forward and say that I’ve had this experience. I had a scan.
“It helped me discover something that was wrong. It gave me the chance to deal with it.”
Lord Cameron has joined Rishi Sunak calling for the national programme
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The former PM told The Times: “I want to, as it were, come out. I want to add my name to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening programme.
“I don’t particularly like discussing my personal intimate health issues, but I feel I ought to.
“Let’s be honest. Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off.
“We’re embarrassed to talk about something like the prostate, because it’s so intricately connected with sexual health and everything else.”
David Cameron was urged to get tested by his wife, Samantha
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Lord Cameron’s announcement comes not long after the first eligible men in the UK have been invited to join a major trial testing the most promising screening techniques for prostate cancer.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting hailed the £42million Transform project as a “game-changer”, with experts hopeful it could help save thousands of lives. The study will compare various screening methods to current NHS diagnostic processes, which can include blood tests and biopsies.
Some 16,000 men will be recruited for the first stages of the trial, which will assess prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests, genetic testing and a faster version of the MRI scan, known as a prostagram, against current NHS diagnostic methods to see which performs best.
Patients aged between 50 and 74, or between 45 and 74 for some groups, will be invited directly by their GP. The first testing will be at the InHealth community diagnostic centre in Ealing, with more set to open across the UK.