Rugby hospital charity trustee urges men to be aware of any signs after prostate cancer battle

A Rugby hospital charity trustee is urging other men to be aware of some of the symptoms of prostate cancer after his battle with the disease.

Willy Goldschmidt, president of the Friends of St Cross, said early diagnosis is vital and could save your life.

His fight started when he was 63 and feeling run down after losing his wife.

Willy said: “My GP asked for blood tests and I was surprised to hear that my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) result was high.”

He was referred to the urology specialists at University Hospitals Coventry who organised an MRI scan and subsequent biopsies.

“This showed that I did indeed have prostate cancer,” added Willy.

“I was offered a choice of treatments.”

Although he said hearing the word ‘cancer’ was a big shock, he was soothed by consultants.

“I was told that I was a young man, that it was an early catch and that I had a very high chance of being cured,” he went on.

“The treatment options were surgery or radiotherapy which have a range of potential side effects and outcomes. This is a very personal choice and I was offered lots of information and support when considering the options.”

Willy chose radiotherapy along with the chance to take part in a research study which trialled different rates of treatment.

He said: “I was randomly selected to have just five treatment sessions. I am pleased to say that the side effects were quite tolerable and less than predicted – which I believe is consistent with the experience of others.”

It’s now been six years since Willy was treated for prostate cancer.

“I am delighted to say that I have been told that my PSA count is as low as it can be,” he said.

Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:

Needing to go to the toilet more frequently,

Difficulty in starting to wee (hesitancy)

Straining or taking a long time while weeing

Weak flow

Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully

Blood in urine or blood in semen

These symptoms do not always mean you have prostate cancer. Many men's prostates get larger as they get older because of a non-cancerous condition called benign prostate enlargement.

These symptoms shouldn’t be ignored, but they do not mean you definitely have prostate cancer.

Signs that the cancer may have spread include bone and back pain, a loss of appetite, pain in the testicles and unintentional weight loss.

The chances of developing prostate cancer increase as you get older. Most cases develop in men aged 50 or older, but this doesn’t mean younger men should ignore any signs.

Willy concluded: “I was lucky that my GP thought to include the PSA blood test in my check up and I would echo the message that many celebrities have given.

"Prostate cancer kills more men than any other cancer, but the survival rate for those treated at an early stage is very high

“Survival rates are constantly improving and so there should be less hesitation about getting checked.”