Pub beer mats to offer cancer check link

Men will be encouraged to check whether they are at risk of developing prostate cancer while enjoying a pint in a pub as part of a targeted awareness campaign running through March.

Dozens of beer mats highlighting the disease are to be distributed to about 30 pubs in Hull and Scunthorpe.

People in both those locations are diagnosed much later with prostate cancer than other areas in the region, according to the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance.

The beer mats feature a QR code that takes customers to a website, where they can check their risk of developing the disease in 30 seconds.

Prostate cancer is the UK's most common cancer in men, mainly affecting people aged 50 and over, with the risk increasing with age.

Rob Sharpe, owner of The Avenue pub in Hull, is taking part in the awareness campaign as part of prostate cancer awareness month.

Mr Sharpe, who lost his father to cancer, said the beer mats might encourage conversations about the disease.

"Men can sometimes find it hard to talk about their bodies, but in the pub with their mates, they might be more receptive to checking the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer," he said.

The campaign hopes to encourage people with any symptoms to visit their GP, as the sooner the disease is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.

Richard Attack, 64, who lives in Bridlington, is a retired painter and decorator.

He discovered he had stage four prostate cancer in 2021.

"I noticed I was needing the toilet more often to pee, especially at night," he said.

"I put it down to getting older, and when I also started with shoulder pain, I thought it might just be from my job."

When he finally visited his GP, he was told it was prostate cancer and it had spread to his bones.

"Please, if you notice any changes in your body, don't put off going to see your GP," he said.

Mark Rogers, a urology consultant at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, outlined the main symptoms of prostate cancer:

• Needing to urinate more frequently (often during the night)

• Needing to rush to the toilet

• Difficulty in starting to urinate (or any hesitancy)

• Straining, a weak flow, or a feeling your bladder has not emptied

• Blood in your urine or semen

Mr Rogers said: "It's important to know what is normal for you and your body, so you can spot signs of prostate cancer as early as possible".

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