Prostate cancer screening awareness shouldn't rely on public figures - Hoy

Six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy has said the responsibility for encouraging men to understand their prostate cancer risk should not rest solely on well-known individuals like himself or broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson. Speaking to BBC Scotland, Hoy said he felt privileged to use his public platform to raise awareness and would keep doing so even if a national screening programme were introduced.

He argued that a more systematic and proactive approach is needed so men understand their personal risk. Hoy noted that after turning 50 recently, he received a letter inviting him for a bowel cancer screening test, but no equivalent process currently exists for prostate cancer. He acknowledged the PSA blood test is imperfect and can sometimes lead to unnecessary treatment, but stressed that this is a treatment decision for doctors rather than a reason to avoid diagnosis, since knowing one's situation matters.

Late diagnoses

Hoy pointed out that around 10,000 men in the UK find out about their prostate cancer too late each year. He said that until a more proactive system is introduced, men need to take responsibility for their own checks, even though the issue is often pushed down the priority list amid busy lives.

Hoy was speaking ahead of his charity cycling event, Tour De 4, which he founded following his diagnosis and which takes place on 6 September in Glasgow, starting and finishing at the velodrome named after him. The event aims to change perceptions of living with stage 4 cancer and bring together people facing similar circumstances along with their families.

Hoy also said he was moved by Scottish swimmer Archie Goodburn's appeal to the prime minister for increased brain cancer research funding, expressing hope that decision-makers act rather than merely promise to look into it. He said he currently feels well and prefers to keep living rather than dwell on worries about the future.