S36 Ep24: Special edition – From Awareness to Action: Prostate Cancer, Community and the Case for Early Detection

Today’s episode is a special one, recorded to announce an exciting and important new partnership between ISF and the organisation Prostate Cancer Research. Joining the show is PCR CEO Oliver Kemp, who for nearly a decade has worked to ensure fewer men suffer and die from prostate cancer. Steve and Oliver talk about how prostate cancer screening works and the importance of catching it early. The two also talk about the partnership and how it will help PCR’s efforts across the UK.

Key Takeaways:

1. Early detection saves lives. If you find prostate cancer before it has reached stage 3, the survival rate is 100%.
2. A cancer battle will affect people around you, but they will also be the people whom you can draw strength and support from.
3. Access to cancer screening varies between regions and demographics.

Tune in to hear more about:

1. What PSA is and how testing for prostate cancer is done (5:28)
2. The new partnership between ISF and PCR (18:58)
3. How AI and new technologies can help in cancer detection (22:34)

Standout Quotes:

1. “I think us men are not always the best at going and looking after ourselves and we often need to be nagged to go out and do something. But if you've got prostate cancer, it's gonna get you one way or another, and it'll gradually grow inside of you. And it's far better getting it early and having a relatively simple procedure, which you can now be in and out of hospital in a single day rather than late-stage prostate cancer, which will have very different consequences.” - Oliver Kemp
2. “I think one of the great things about this partnership is first of all, we're aiming at people who often don't get tested. And there are lots of PSA tests happening across this country, but they're often focused on regional areas. So southeast of England, London has lots of testing. It has lots of the best hospitals in the world, whereas other parts of the country don't have access to that.” - Oliver Kemp
3. “And for people in cybersecurity, it's about being as proactive about your own health as you are about protecting your organization. So it isn't about waiting for symptoms. I didn't have any. Look at PSA tests. We've said on this show it's a very low cost. And the people that I've come across who've certainly taken that step, and sadly there are more of us than people might think, all tell me the same thing. And as for partners, families, friends that are listening, don't underestimate the power of your encouragement just being there. That's really important. You don't have to do anything big. It's just a quiet conversation that could genuinely help.” - Steve Durbin

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