Men must not find prostate cancer by chance like I did

When Richard Bean visited his doctor about vertigo he received an unexpected diagnosis, he tells Lizzie Catt

- AMY PACKER

Richard Bean was enjoying an active and healthy retirement, spending time with his grandchildren, cycling and playing plenty of football, having rediscovered a love of the sport. The last thing he suspected was that he could be suffering from cancer, or that a chance trip to the doctor with an unrelated issue was about to save his life.

"For men, it's so easy to put your head in the sand and not think about things like prostate cancer," says Richard, 68, from Coventry. "That's where I was. My good mate has been suffering with it for 11 years, his symptoms were typical - I had none. I wasn't getting up at night or needing to go to the loo all the time. In fact, a friend had nicknamed me 'the camel' because I never needed to go!"

In September 2023, Richard started experiencing dizzy spells so visited his GP, who diagnosed vertigo and ordered some blood tests. Having had a conversation with his footie mates about prostate cancer tests, Richard suggested his PSA levels were checked at the same time "almost as an afterthought," he says. "I didn't think for a second there'd be anything wrong"

A couple of days later, Richard received a call that his levels of prostate specific antigen - a protein that can indicate prostate cancer - were raised. Within two weeks, he had an appointment with a urologist who couldn't feel anything, but suggested an MRI.