Hundreds of fans given prostate health advice before Albion game
Albion in the Community (AITC) shared potentially life-saving information on the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer with hundreds of Seagulls supporters before a recent Premier League game.
AITC welcomed more than 200 fans to a prostate health drop-in event before the club’s game with Huddersfield Town.
The drop-in took place in the Brighton Diagnostic and Treatment Centre in the East Stand at the American Express Community Stadium and AITC’s health team was joined on the day by experts from the local NHS. The event was also supported by Medical Imaging Partnership.
Supporters were encouraged to discuss any concerns they had with AITC’s team, and there was also a consultation room for anyone who wanted a confidential one-to-one with a consultant urologist.
And, as well as the drop-in, AITC also handed out flyers and booklets detailing the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer to a further 1,400 fans.
The event was organised as part of AITC’s Speak Up Against Cancer campaign, which aims to improve local early detection rates of a range of cancers.
Prostate cancer is the most-common cancer among men in the UK, with around 40,000 new cases in the UK every year – roughly 130 each day. That figure includes almost 150 new diagnoses in Brighton and Hove every 12 months.
However, if caught early, 90% of prostate cancers can be treated successfully.
Symptoms include experiencing difficulty or pain when going to the toilet, going more often, particularly at night, or noticing blood in the urine. Unexplained weight loss and impotence or erectile dysfunction could also be early warning signs.
Sue Brown, who works on AITC’s Speak Up Against Cancer campaign, said: “It was brilliant to be able to speak to so many supporters and to share information on the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer. It is important to remember that while none of the symptoms necessarily point towards cancer, it is best to get them checked out as the earlier a cancer is caught, the better the chances of successfully treating it. That was the message we were keen to share with supporters and to be able to reach so many people was fantastic.
“Our thanks go to Dr Ian Francis, from Medical Imaging Partnership, Ammar Alanbuki, from Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust, and all our volunteers for their invaluable support on the day.”
Speak Up Against Cancer is commissioned by NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group and Brighton & Hove City Council Public Health. In the last 12 months alone the campaign has seen AITC’s team meet face-to-face with more than 18,000 people in Brighton and Hove.
For a full list of the signs and symptoms of a range of cancers, visit: www.speakupagainstcancer.org.