It just might save your life!
Indeed, Bridgnorth Lions Club’s annual prostate cancer screening evening has saved hundreds of lives over the years.
This much-valued annual date in the town’s calendar offers men the chance to take a simple blood test for a deadly disease that, caught early, is potentially curable.
As well as the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, the scheme will also include, as in previous years, the chance to take diabetes and cholesterol tests. The fee for each test is £23, subsidised by a list of generous sponsors.
A major addition this year is the offer of a free hearing health check, courtesy of Bridgnorth hearing specialist Second Sense, which is one of the evening’s sponsors
The event will be held at Castle Hall, Bridgnorth, on Wednesday 24 September, from 5pm to 10pm.
“Each test takes about three minutes and, as last year, we are aiming for 1,000 men to be tested on the evening. Some will be very glad they came,” says Lions’ spokesman Peter Parker. “Cholesterol, diabetes and hearing health checks are available to women as well as men.”
The club launched its annual PSA screening event in 2009 since when it has carried out 13,000 tests. As a result, in the past 16 years more than 400 men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, many of whom had experienced no symptoms and so had no idea that they had the disease, Peter says.
And that, basically, is the problem because early diagnosis is key to surviving a cancer that kills 12,000 men in the UK every year. It is exactly why the Lions’ PSA Test Event provides such a fantastic public service.
As in previous years, the scheme is monitored by the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust with the average timeline from samples taken to the client receiving the results being 48 hours. Blood samples are taken by a team of up to 30 fully-trained nurses and are couriered to a laboratory in London with the results passed to the Graham Fulford clinicians for analysis.
Results are emailed out. If you receive a green result then no further action is required other than to come for another test in a couple of years. An amber result means your numbers are a little high and a further test is recommended within six to 12 months. A red result advises you to contact your GP for further tests and advice. This is important as the test can throw up a false positive.
Key Statistics:
- About 15% of all men with a “normal” PSA may have prostate cancer.
- Two out of three men with a raised PSA level don’t have prostate cancer.
- One out of three men with a raised PSA level will have prostate cancer.
- Two out of three men who have a biopsy don’t have cancer.
- Biopsies in one in five men fail to spot prostate cancer.
BENEFITS:
- May detect prostate cancer before any symptoms.
- May detect fast growing cancer at an early stage.
- Regular testing can detect increasing levels of PSA which may be due to cancer.
DISADVANTAGES:
- About 3 out of 4 men with a raised PSA level will not have cancer.
- 1 in 7 men with normal PSA levels may have prostate cancer
- If your PSA level is raised, you may need a biopsy or MRI scan. A biopsy can be a painful and invasive procedure.
- Slow growing prostate cancer is unlikely to cause problems or reduce life span and may just need careful monitoring by the hospital.
Peter says that each test, except the hearing health check, has to be pre-booked online, with no ‘walk-ins’ accepted. Visit bridgnorthlions.org.uk and follow the link to the mypsatests.org.uk website to book an appointment. That formality aside, the Lions try to make the event as relaxed and welcoming as possible.
“I know there is a reluctance amongst us blokes to go to the doctor so we feel we are providing a very important service for the men of the town and surrounding area.
“We try to make it as fun an evening as we can, the chance to have a pint and chat around a routine test. We love to provide this service, to have a few laughs to hopefully ease any anxieties that some men might have and take the stress out of the whole thing.”
Cholesterol and Diabetes
Once again there is the option of taking cholesterol and diabetes tests at the same time as your PSA test. This is simply carried out with a maximum of two blood vials taken during one blood sample. The additional two tests are completely optional and you can select either or both when you register.
There has been a huge increase in cases of diabetes in recent years. It is a condition that needs to be identified and kept under control, otherwise there are potentially serious consequences.
High cholesterol is a killer as it can lead to heart attacks, strokes and other serious health complications. This simple test shows up whether your cholesterol level needs to be addressed by your doctor, either through a change of diet, course of tablets or other treatment.
Bridgnorth Lions Club very much believes that prevention is better than cure and that is the principle at the heart of what its members are doing.
The prostate cancer/health screening initiative is one of several public-spirited activities undertaken by Bridgnorth Lions Club, which was formed in 1976 by four like-minded men to help the community. In the intervening 49 years, the club has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local good causes.
Every penny raised goes into the club’s charity account with nothing taken for administration purposes. All Bridgnorth Lions Club members are volunteers and an annual subscription paid by each member covers all administration costs.
The club organises other major events in the town such as the famous Bridgnorth Walk and the annual Duck Race. The annual walk draws thousands of people together – either as participants or cheering spectators – in a wonderful community event that annually raises in the region of £100,000 for charity.
The Duck Race brings enjoyment to many, adding much to the overall fun of Bridgnorth Carnival while raising money for good causes.
In addition, the inaugural Bridgnorth Lions Canine Carnival dog show in July was a huge success supported by some 500 visitors.
“Everyone enjoyed a day of fun competitions alongside two Professional Dog Agility Demonstrations by Ready 2 Run and Paws for Thought, plus a fun Scurry Run organised by Bridgnorth Dog Club,” Peter explains.
“Because we are local, we serve the unique needs of the community in which we live. But as we are also global, we can address international challenges such as help for earthquake victims or other disasters wherever they occur.”
Having fun while helping their community – both local and wider – is what it’s all about for Lions. Regular club night meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month, at The Down Inn, just outside Bridgnorth on the Ludlow Road. The club has an active social calendar, enjoyed by all members and partners and anyone interested in joining should have a chat with any of the Lions on the PSA screening evening or beforehand.
The Lions movement was founded in Chicago, USA, in 1917 by insurance agent Melvin Jones, and became international when the first club in Canada was formed in 1920. The UK’s first club was opened in London in 1949. There are now more than 10,000 Lions in 600 clubs across the British Isles.
Melvin Jones’ personal code for life, “You can’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else”, became a guiding principle for public-spirited people the world over.
Bridgnorth is part of Lions Clubs International (LCI) – with 1.4million members across the globe.
Its motto is ‘We Serve’.
It certainly sums up Bridgnorth Lions’ big-hearted approach to their community. And never was that more poignantly illustrated than by a simple blood test on an autumn evening that could help to save a life.
All tests must be pre-booked online – bridgnorthlions.org.uk
