Sport promoter raises awareness of prostate cancer

Barry Hearn has backed a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the disease

A sports promoter has called on more men to get themselves checked for prostate cancer after he underwent surgery.

Barry Hearn, 76, who lives in East Hanningfield, Essex said the operation two months ago was "100% successful".

The NHS lists common symptoms of prostate cancer and says anyone over 50 can ask for a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, but they are not routinely used for screening as results can be unreliable.

Mr Hearn, president of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), said an awareness campaign about the disease had given him the "nudge" to see a doctor.

"I'm quite health-conscious, but that was a nudge I needed. It was the nudge that all men need," he said.

"I got myself checked and, two months ago, I had a prostate operation, which has been 100% successful."

He has been supporting the Big 180 campaign organised by Paddy Power, which aims to encourage 180,000 men to assess if they are at risk.

NHS guidance states the chances of developing prostate cancer increase as you get older and most cases develop in men aged over 50.

Men whose father or brother were affected by prostate cancer are at slightly increased risk themselves.

Prostate Cancer UK chief executive Laura Kerby said she was "thrilled" at how successful the campaign had been so far.

She said: "We're also proud that this life-changing campaign has reached the very top of the PDC and thank Barry Hearn for being so open about his health issues.

"It's incredible to see more than 85,000 people have now completed our simple online risk checker since the start of this year's campaign... there's little doubt that we are making a huge impact via the darts community."