Cliff Richard Says He Has Undergone Treatment for Prostate Cancer; Early Signs You Must Not Miss

Veteran singer Sir Cliff Richard has revealed he was being treated for prostate cancer for the entire past year and that his disease is currently “gone”. The 85-year-old music icon said he used his experience to advocate for a national screening programme for men, urging early detection. Richards said his diagnosis came during an insurance health check before a tour of Australia and New Zealand. “The good fortune was that it was not very old, and the other thing is that it has not metastasised. Nothing had moved into bones or anything like that,” he said in an interview. “I don’t know whether it’s going to come back. We can’t tell those sorts of things, but we need to, absolutely, I’m convinced, get there, get tested, get checked,” said the Summer

Holiday singer.

Richards calls for early screening measures to be set up

Last month, the UK National Screening Committee decided not to recommend mass screening for prostate cancer, saying the measure was "likely to cause more harm than good". Instead, it has proposed a targeted screening programme every two years for men with specific genetic mutations, known as BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, between the ages of 45 and 61 years. “The King had said Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives. Now, I have heard this message repeatedly during my visits to cancer centres across the country. I know too what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment,” he said.

What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer happens due to the uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate gland, a common cancer in men, often slow-growing, and usually detected via PSA blood tests or digital rectal exams. Diagnosis involves screening, imaging, and biopsy, with treatment options varying from monitoring to surgery or radiation, depending on cancer aggressiveness. According to doctors, prostate cancer is a serious disease, and it is common. For every 100 men, experts believe at least 13 will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Fortunately, most people get diagnosed before it spreads beyond their prostate glands. Treatment at this stage often eliminates the cancer. Still, approximately 35,770 people in the United States die from prostate cancer every year.

What causes prostate cancer?

While it is not known what causes prostate cancer, doctors say it forms when cells divide faster than usual. While normal cells eventually die, cancer cells don’t. Instead, they multiply and grow into a tumour. As the cells continue to multiply, parts of the tumour break off and spread to other parts of your body. Luckily, prostate cancer usually grows slowly. Most tumours are diagnosed before the cancer has spread beyond your prostate. Prostate cancer is highly treatable at this stage.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer

Early-stage prostate cancer rarely causes symptoms. But as prostate cancer progresses, you may start to notice changes. Contact your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms of prostate cancer:

• Frequent, sometimes urgent, need to pee, especially at night
• Weak urine flow or the flow that starts and stops
• Pain or burning when you pee
• Loss of bladder control
• Loss of bowel control
• Painful ejaculation and erectile dysfunction
• Blood in semen or pee
• Pain in your low back, hip, or chest