Six-time Olympic track cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy has disclosed that he has been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
The former British cyclist first discovered a tumour in his shoulder in September 2023, sharing his cancer diagnosis publicly in February 2024.
He has now revealed that just two days after this initial diagnosis, doctors informed him that the primary prostate cancer had spread to his bones, with tumours in his hip, pelvis, spine, and rib. The cancer has progressed to stage 4 and is incurable. Despite undergoing treatment to manage the disease, Sir Chris Hoy has been told he has a life expectancy of two to four years.
By openly revealing his cancer diagnosis, Sir Chris Hoy has both emphasised the importance of preventative healthcare and raised awareness of this important issue.
In this blog post, we explore cancer screening and explain why, when it comes to prioritising your health, prevention is always better than cure.
What is Cancer?
Cancer is a broad term for a large group of diseases that can impact any part of the body. It is also known as malignant tumours or neoplasms. A key characteristic of cancer is the rapid production of abnormal cells that grow uncontrollably, often invading nearby tissues and spreading to other organs—a process known as metastasis. The spread of cancer through metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
What is Cancer Screening?
Cancer screening refers to the process of looking for cancer before any symptoms appear. The goal of screening is to detect cancer at its earliest stages, when it is most treatable, and in some cases, even prevent cancer from developing by identifying pre-cancerous conditions. Screening tests vary depending on the type of cancer and may include procedures such as blood tests, imaging tests like mammograms, or physical exams like a cervical screening. By spotting cancer early, treatments are often more successful, less invasive, and less costly.
The Purpose of Cancer Screening
The key objective of cancer screening is to identify cancers early when they are too small to cause noticeable symptoms. Early detection increases the chances of effective treatment and recovery. Health assessments can play a vital preventative role in combating cancer.
Common cancers that have well-established screening guidelines include:
- Breast cancer: Screening with mammograms, which are X-ray images of the breast, is used to spot cancers when they’re too small to see or feel. In England, breast screening is recommended to women aged 50 to their 71st birthday.
- Cervical cancer: cervical screening is offered to people with a cervix aged from 25 to 64 in the UK. Routine screening is offered every three years up to 49, and every five years from 50 to 65 years of age.
- Colorectal cancer: Colonoscopy and stool-based tests can detect precancerous polyps or early-stage cancer. The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme sends men and women aged 60-74 a home testing kit every two years to check a stool sample for tiny amounts of blood which could be caused by cancer.
- Lung cancer: Low-dose CT scans are used to screen for lung cancer. CT scanning of the chest enables detection of cancers as small as just a few millimetres in size.
- Prostate cancer: PSA blood tests and an MRI prostate scan is the most accurate means of screening for prostate cancer.
The Importance of Early Detection
Early detection of cancer significantly improves treatment outcomes, reducing mortality rates and often allowing for less aggressive forms of treatment. When cancer is caught in its earliest stages, it is generally smaller, localised, and easier to remove or treat.
- Higher survival rates: Cancers detected early tend to have better outcomes. For example, according to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 99% if detected early and in a localised area. Similarly, colon cancer survival rates are much higher if the disease is caught at stage 1 compared to later stages.
- Less invasive treatments: When cancer is found early, treatment options can be less intense and more effective. Surgery might be the only treatment required, or patients may need lower doses of chemotherapy or radiation.
- Reduced healthcare costs: Early treatment is often less costly compared to managing advanced cancer, which may require extensive treatments, hospital stays, or palliative care. By reducing the economic burden on healthcare systems and individuals, early detection programs can lead to better resource allocation in public health.
- Improved quality of life: Advanced cancers are more likely to cause complications and require more intense treatments, which can significantly affect quality of life. Early-stage cancer patients often experience fewer side effects and a quicker return to their normal activities.
Screening at Echelon Health
Having a comprehensive assessment of your health empowers you to take control of your own wellbeing and act accordingly. These assessments enable effective preventative measures, helping to reduce the risk of various health conditions and providing numerous benefits.
At Echelon Health, we are proud to offer a Platinum Assessment that is highly effective in detecting a wide array of illnesses. In fact, we can identify up to 92% and 95% of the preventable causes of death in men and women, respectively.
The following is a complete list of scans that are part of the Platinum Assessment:
- Medical Questionnaire
- Blood Test
- ECG
- CT Aorta
- CT Heart
- CT Coronary Angiogram
- CT Chest
- CT Pelvis
- CT Virtual Colonoscopy
- CT Bone Density
- EOS
- CT Upright Skeleton
- MRI Brain
- MRI Cerebral Artery Angiogram
- MRI Carotid Artery Angiogram
- MRI Prostate
- Ultrasound Thyroid
- Ultrasound Testes/Ovaries
- Digital Mammogram
- Full Body Mole Screen
- Final consultation
This assessment uses state-of-the-art technology to take a comprehensive look at an individual’s health and screen for:
- Cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer, bowel cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer and more.
- Diseases of the circulatory system including Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, aortic aneurysms and more.
- Diseases of the digestive system including liver disease, Gallbladder, Biliary Tract, Pancreatic disease, Diverticular disease.
For a confidential conversation on which preventative health assessment would work best for you contact our team today. We will always be delighted to help give you more information and answer any questions you may have.
Sources
https://olympics.com/en/news/sir-chris-hoy-terminal-cancer-two-to-four-years-to-live
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4dr9xdxgro
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/screening
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer
https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/early-diagnosis/screening-and-earlier-diagnosis/
https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/early-detection-of-breast-cancer/