'Covid hasn't stopped cancer' : Support group fear men with prostate cancer symptoms are not coming forward
Video report by Lewis Warner.
A prostate cancer support group in Dumfries says they're concerned about men with symptoms not coming forward.
It comes as figures for England show a significant drop in the number of cancer referrals and treatments.
The pandemic has led to more than 55,500 fewer urological cancer referrals in England alone, according to Prostate Cancer UK.
As a result, it's estimated that there were around 20,100 fewer treatments for urological cancers between April 2020 and March 2021- that's compared with the same period the previous year.
Roland Proudlock was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and now runs a support group, Prostate Buddies, for men that've been affected. They've seen more people coming to them for help in the last year.
He told ITV Border: "The fact is there are 47,500 men diagnosed every year in the UK, that's 129 a day with prostate cancer, so Covid hasn't stopped cancer appearing.
"And being that prostate cancer is the biggest killer of men in the UK, there are probably two or three a week in Dumfries and Galloway."
But has COVID provided hesitant men with yet another excuse not to go GP? Roland believes it has. He said: "Well, I think the impact that Covid has had is that we are currently held back from getting the kind of service that we would want to get.
"Men are not coming forward and doctors are being extremely cautious.
"The upshot of that is that we've got men suffering fro the symptoms, not coming forward, not speaking to their doctors and, worryingly, that can lead to further complications which perhaps may not be treatable."
Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the UK.
Those left without a referral have been described as 'missing men', with Prostate UK warning unless they are found quickly, they risk being diagnosed too late.
Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:
needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
needing to rush to the toilet
difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)
straining or taking a long time while peeing
weak flow
feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
More information can be found on the NHS website.