Thousands of men have checked their risk of prostate cancer after a plea from Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy following his terminal diagnosis.
The legendary athlete, 48, started a campaign two weeks ago to encourage men to check if they are at risk of England’s most common form of cancer, after announcing his own tragic diagnosis last year.
More than 75,000 men have, since the start of his campaign, used charity Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk checker to see if they too could be affected by the disease.
And Sir Chris’s efforts seem to have been well worth it – more than 80 per cent of those men, or around 61,000 of them, discovered they were a higher risk patient after using the checker, which advised them to talk to their GP about getting tested.
Hoy’s campaign, a collaboration with Marks & Spencer, has already raised more than £55,000 for Prostate Cancer UK by donating £4 from every pack of men’s underwear from the Autograph range sold in the popular supermarket to the charity.
But as well as funding life-changing research into the disease, the six-time Olympic champion and father-of-two told the Daily Express he was proud to have started a conversation among thousands of men about getting checked.
With March marking Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, he said: ‘Whoever you are, whatever your age, I urge you to start a conversation with your husband, dad, brother or friend. Or maybe it’s about just having a conversation with yourself.’
With the online risk checker tool taking just 30 seconds and asking users only three questions, he said: ‘What are you waiting for? It’s time to check, mate.’
Thousands of men have checked their risk of prostate cancer after Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy (pictured), terminally diagnosed with it, urged males nationwide to do so
The legendary athlete (pictured, after winning two gold medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games), 48, started a campaign two weeks ago to encourage men to check if they are at risk of England’s most common form of cancer, after announcing his own tragic diagnosis last year
More than 75,000 men have, since the start of his campaign, used charity Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk checker to see if they too could be affected by the disease. Pictured: Hoy at the Paris 2024 Olympics last summer
Prostate cancer is England’s most common form of cancer, according to the latest figures from Prostate Cancer UK, with cases rising by a quarter between 2019 and 2023.
One in eight men will get prostate cancer – and the risk is double for black men. More than 12,000 men die from the disease every year – that is one every 45 minutes.
Sir Chris’s passionate belief in men identifying their risk of prostate cancer, not just its symptoms, is only too poignant. By the time he himself started experiencing symptoms and was diagnosed in September 2023, his cancer had already spread.
Despite undergoing chemotherapy, doctors said he had only two to four years to live.
It is scarily common, Prostate Cancer UK said, for patients to have no symptoms until the cancer has spread and become incurable.
Hoy’s own experience has inspired him to raise awareness of how important it can be to get diagnosed early – when treatment has a better chance of succeeding.
Chief of Prostate Cancer UK Laura Kerby said: ‘Sir Chris has changed the way the UK thinks about prostate cancer – with more men now aware of their risk and the option to ask their GP about a simple PSA blood test, and politicians talking seriously about screening.’
The test in question is known as a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, a designated blood test can help identify any problems in the area – including prostate cancer. Patients have the right to get one for free from their GP.
Sir Chris’s efforts seem to have been well worth it – more than 80 per cent of those men, or around 61,000 of them, discovered they were a higher risk patient after using the checker, which advised them to talk to their GP about getting tested. Pictured: Sir Chris holding up the match ball before the Six Nations match between Scotland and Ireland last month
Sir Chris’s passionate belief in men identifying their risk of prostate cancer, not just its symptoms, is only too poignant. By the time he himself started experiencing symptoms and was diagnosed in September 2023, his cancer had already spread
She continued: ‘Tens of thousands of men have taken that all-important first step of taking our online Risk Checker, which will certainly lead to more men getting an earlier, curable diagnosis who might otherwise have got much worse news.’
Hoy first announced in February last year that he was undergoing treatment for cancer, but said he was ‘optimistic’ and then worked as a BBC pundit at the Paris Olympics in the summer.
However, the father-of-two admitted in October 2024 that he had known for a year that his illness was terminal.
The Scot originally went to the doctor in September 2023 for a suspected shoulder strain, only to discover he had a tumour in his shoulder.
A further scan found that the primary cancer was in his prostate and had spread to his bones.
‘We were all born and we all die and this is just part of the process,’ Hoy told The Sunday Times.
‘But aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible.’
The Prostate Cancer Risk Checker does not just identify how at risk of the disease users are – but what they can do about it.
Hoy (pictured after winning a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics) first announced in February last year that he was undergoing treatment for cancer, but said he was ‘optimistic’ and then worked as a BBC pundit at the Paris Olympics in the summer
However, the father-of-two (pictured receiving his knighthood in 2009) admitted in October 2024 that he had known for a year that his illness was terminal
It has been advertised in all checkouts and fitting rooms in M&S stores as well as its webpages selling men’s underwear from its Autograph range.
The supermarket will continue to donate £4 from the sale of each pack of the underwear, excluding vests and socks, to Prostate Cancer UK until the end of this month.
The funding will go towards supporting men with prostate cancer in the UK and research into better treatments, as well as the TRANSFORM trial currently testing the best way to screen for the disease.
M&S Menswear Director Mitch Hughes said: ‘Who knew a pair of pants could be so powerful!’
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Your risk increases if you are more than 50 years old, black and aged over 45, or if your dad or brother had it.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average – which is 143 men every day.
Many men with early-stage prostate cancer do not have or notice symptoms so it is best to know your risk and what you can do about it – rather than wait for symptoms. The earlier the diagnosis, the easier it is to treat.
Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer can visit the Prostate Cancer UK website or contact the charity’s Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or via email, web chat or WhatsApp.
