'Nick's cancer story may have saved my life'

Nick Owen meeting Ian Phillipson in Herefordshire

A writer believes he could owe his life to television presenter Nick Owen after he spoke about his cancer on BBC Midlands Today.

Ian Phillipson decided to request a test after watching Owen speak emotionally about his prostate cancer treatment in 2023. The test came back positive.

The 66-year-old, from Burghill, Herefordshire, said he was feeling good after treatment and that his symptoms were gradually clearing.

Owen said he felt humbled that Mr Phillipson had been spurred on to get tested. "We had a lot in common and it was a really heart-warming experience. We are prostate cancer buddies," he said after the two met.

After Owen went public, charities saw a surge of inquiries about Prostate Specific Antigen testing (PSA) in blood, where high levels may indicate a prostate condition.

Mr Phillipson said: "I saw Nick being open about his diagnosis and how if your father or close family has had prostate cancer, then you should get a check.

"My father had so I did and on 1 November I was told that my PSA was high which then triggered an MRI scan and I was diagnosed in January this year."

He underwent a course of radiotherapy in the summer and in August, following another PSA test, his doctors told him he was clear of cancer.

He was one of dozens of viewers who wrote to Owen thanking him for raising awareness of a disease which is believed to affect one in eight men in their lifetime. Earlier this month Owen went to visit him.

Nick's story prompted Ian Phillipson to get checked

"I want to thank you, Nick, because you might have saved my life," Mr Phillipson told him.

"Who knows what catalyst there might have been in the future that would have prompted me to get myself checked out?"

The presenter said he had been inundated with correspondence from wives, girlfriends and children of men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"It’s a really good outcome for Ian," Owen said. "I'm so pleased that I have met him now and we’ve been able to share our experiences."

Symptoms of prostate cancer can include urinating more than usual and the presence of blood in urine. Men aged 50 or over can ask their GP for a test, even if they do not have symptoms.