Former Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has said he « fell through the gaps » with his prostate cancer diagnosis, calling it a « massive wake-up call ».
He revealed last month he has stage-four cancer, meaning it has spread to other areas of the body. However, he said he was responding positively to treatment.
Speaking at an event for Prostate Cancer UK, Murnaghan urged men to get tested – and to insist on one if they’re in a high-risk group.
« For years I thought ‘that will do me’. I’m getting tested basically once a year or every couple of years, » he said.
« It never occurred to me that they weren’t testing for PSA (prostate-specific antigen) and I never went to my GP because I was getting other tests privately through the production company.
« So that’s how I fell through the gaps and that’s how I had a massive wake-up call and want to share the message. »
A PSA test is a blood test that can indicate if there’s a potential problem with the prostate but there’s currently no national screening programme.
The NHS says men over 50 can ask their GP for one, and Murnaghan, who’s 67, said some people below that age should also push for one.
« You can get to the stage I have with no symptoms, » he said.
« Get the test, insist on the test. You can insist on the test if you are in a high-risk group and under 50. If you are not, I’d still get the test at 50. »
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Murnaghan – who worked at Sky News for 16 years – added: « Go to your GP and they say you don’t need it, but say ‘but I want it’. It is your right to have it.
« Just keep doing that every year or couple of years. Once you’ve got that marker where your PSA is, keep monitoring it.
« The earlier you find prostate cancer the easier it is to treat, so check your risk in just 30 seconds with Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk checker to see if you are at risk and what you can choose to do about it. »
Those at higher-risk of prostate cancer include men over 50, black men and people with a family history of the disease.
Murnaghan is currently preparing for a charity bike ride in September, the Tour de 4, organised by Sir Chris Hoy – who revealed his own diagnosis last year.
