To mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is encouraging men across the industry to focus on their health.
CIOB is supporting Prostate Cancer UK this March as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the disease.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. One in eight men will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime. This risk increases with age, and it is particularly high among black men, where the figure rises to one in four.
CIOB president Paul Gandy has shared his personal experience of how prostate cancer can change lives, having lost his father, uncle and a colleague to the disease. He said the loss “brings home how fragile life can be, and how often the warning signs are missed or ignored”.
Early detection can make a significant difference – when prostate cancer is detected early, treatment is more effective.
Commenting on CIOB’s commitment to raise awareness and encourage more men in the industry to focus on their health, Gandy said: “As a professional body, our role is not just about standards, qualifications and professionalism. It is also about people.
“We have a responsibility to care about the wellbeing of those who work in construction and the built environment.”
Taking the first step
While there is currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK, it is important for individuals, particularly those at higher risk, to take ownership of their health.
Speaking on CIOB’s 21CC podcast, Meg Burgess, a specialist nurse at Prostate Cancer UK, said the first step for anyone who wants to be checked is to visit their GP, who might suggest a PSA test.
“There are advantages and disadvantages to the PSA test,” she explained. “It’s not as accurate as we’d like it to be, but your GP will cover those advantages and disadvantages. It’s your choice if you want to go ahead.
“Men often think that a prostate check is going to be a finger test,” Burgess added.
“That isn’t the first test, it is the PSA blood test. The rectal examination, or finger test, can be helpful for men who have got symptoms, but it’s not the necessary first step.”
‘Don’t focus on symptoms’
Burgess also highlighted the importance of individuals understanding their own risk of prostate cancer and not waiting for potential symptoms of the disease.
“Don’t focus on symptoms, focus on risk factors,” she said. “Very often, it’s urinary symptoms so men might notice that they’re peeing more frequently, having to get up at night to pass urine [but] but those aren’t always symptoms of prostate cancer. They can be symptoms of a benign change or enlargement of the prostate, as well as other things.”
“If you’re waiting for symptoms of prostate cancer, you risk cancer developing,” Burgess added. “Finding prostate cancer early means that it’s much easier to treat or to monitor.”
Prostate Cancer UK has created a free and confidential online risk checker that asks a small number of straightforward questions and provides clear guidance on what to do next. While the risk checker does not provide a diagnosis, it is a useful starting point.
“If you are a man working in construction, I would strongly encourage you to use it,” Gandy said. “And if you manage teams or work alongside others, encourage them to do the same. Having that conversation, whether with a colleague, a partner or a doctor, can make all the difference.”
Early testing saves lives
Nick Molyneux, senior MEP manager at Mace, has first-hand experience of the importance of early diagnosis. A routine PSA blood test detected elevated levels of prostate specific antigen, which led to further checks and a biopsy.
Molyneux was diagnosed with prostate cancer which, thankfully, was found early and considered to be “low grade”.
“It was quite a worrying time,” he said. “You hear a lot about prostate cancer but you don’t really understand the full nitty gritty of it all.”
Due to experiencing no symptoms, Molyneux would have been “none the wiser” without the routine PSA test. “If I didn’t have that blood test, I’d never know, even now. I’d be living with it,” he said. “It is really important to get that test, especially if you’re in the higher risk category.”
In the UK, the people at highest risk of prostate cancer are men over the age of 50, those with a family history of prostate cancer, and black men.
“It’s so important to put your health first and get yourself checked,” Molyneux added. “It’s a simple blood test and it could save your life.”
