AN East Renfrewshire man has told of his battle with prostate cancer in a bid to convince other men to get regular checks for the disease.

Ian McNeil was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer four years ago, at the age of 52.

According to his urologist, if the grandfather-of-two had waited any longer to get treatment, he wouldn’t have reached his 60th birthday.

Ian, now 55, told the Barrhead News: “I started getting PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) tests from my early 40s, as I had annual medical examinations as part of the company I worked for at the time.

“I later changed jobs but thought I should continue to get my PSA tests through my GP.

“My PSA had been trundling along at a steady level but then, one year, it went through the roof, which was terrifying.”

Ian quickly got a referral to a urologist, which led to further tests, such as a rectal exam, MRI scan and biopsy, to officially diagnose the condition.

He was given a score of seven out of 10 on the Gleason grading system, with higher numbers indicating a worse prognosis and higher risk of mortality.

Ian said: “It was quite a large and aggressive tumour which had grown fast and was already bulging out of my prostate.

“I wanted it out of my body as quickly as possible, so I had the surgery to remove it done in London about six weeks later.

“It was already a bit too late by then, as some of the cancer had jumped out the prostate and into lymph nodes in the bed of my pelvis, which is quite common.”

Ian, from Busby, then underwent seven weeks of radiotherapy and two years of hormone treatment until he was given the all-clear.

During his radiotherapy treatment in 2019, he organised a 20km ‘March for Men’ event around a loch in the Scottish Highlands and raised nearly £10,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.

Ian said: “I would highly recommend to any man to get tested from their late 30s onwards, as I had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever before I was diagnosed.”

Prostate Cancer UK advises men to speak to their GP if they have any concerns about prostate cancer, as there is currently no accurate screening programme.

To find out more, visit prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information.