DON’T PUT OFF A PROSTATE BIOPSY: IT COULD BE VITAL

EARLIER this month a reader wrote to me asking whether he needed to have a prostate biopsy – his GP recommended it due to worrying blood test results, and he was nervous.

A biopsy is a minor procedure, carried out in hospital. In this case, it involves a needle being inserted into the prostate gland a number of times to take tissue samples. It can be done under a general or local anaesthetic. Some men who have a local anaesthetic report some pain. This is mentioned on the NHS website, and my patients have confirmed this.

After that article, I received a flurry of letters from men saying they’d undergone biopsies that hadn’t been painful at all – uncomfortable at most. They were also worried people might be put off by my description, which is the last thing I want. Be reassured: biopsies are routine procedures, but also vital. A biopsy is the only way we can tell for certain if a man has prostate cancer. If we pick it up, we can tackle it.

Treatment is very effective these days. If you think you’ve got problems, the worst thing is to not seek a proper diagnosis. Because it’s when these things fester that they become hard to treat. And that really is something to worry about.