Three friends help Derriford Hospital lead fight against prostate cancer

A new scanner has been unveiled at Derriford Hospital to improve the diagnosis of Prostate Cancer, the most common form of the disease in men.

The machine is the first of its kind in the country - and it was partly funded by a group of friends from Plymouth.

Climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro is quite a challenge but these friends managed it, spurred on by the knowledge they would be helping in the fight against prostate cancer.

They were inspired by the story of their friend Glyn Hollis here on the right, who had prostate cancer. The £20,000 they raised for the Chesnut Appeal has been put towards a new scanning machine at Derriford Hospital.

The scanner is the first of its kind in the country and enables faster, more accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men. It works by combining an MRI scan image with a live ultrasound scan.

The machine cost more than £100,000 - paid for by the Chestnut Appeal, a local charity, with money raised across the Westcountry.