Rod Stewart: The star’s health battle – the importance of early diagnosis and symptoms
Rod Stewart urges fans to get checked for prostate cancer
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Rod Stewart, 76, shared the positive news about his cancer battle during a fundraising event in 2019. He was given “all clear” from his doctors after a two-year battle with the disease. Prostate cancer can be detected early when tested for prostate-specific antigen. This was the rock singer’s case as the cancer was detected early during a routine check-up.
Prostate cancer is located in the prostate, a small walnut-shaped gland that makes the seminal fluid helping to transport sperm, Mayo Clinic explains.
This type of cancer is one of the most common, according to the health forum.
Rod Stewart was battling this diagnosis privately for three years.
Back in 2019, he revealed the news about beginning recovery during a fundraising event for the Prostate Project and golf’s European Tour Foundation.
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“I’m in the clear, now, simply because I caught it early,” he said, according to The Mirror.
Early detection of the diagnosis seemed to have been crucial in his case.
American Cancer society reports that one of the ways to ensure early detection is by testing for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in blood.
There are a few different ways that your doctor can help you to get checked for the disease, the NHS reports.
“There’s no single, definitive test for prostate cancer,” explains the NHS website.
Your GP will probably either ask for a urine sample, do your blood work, or examine your prostate.
They will walk you through every step and talk about the pros and cons of different testing options to “avoid unnecessary anxiety”.
Sir Rod stressed the importance of getting checked and urged everyone to speak to their GPs, saying: “Guys, you’ve got to really go to the doctor.”
What are the symptoms?
In many cases, signs of prostate cancer don’t appear until the prostate is big enough to affect the urethra, the NHS states.
The urethra is the tube that urine is carried through from the bladder out of the penis.
Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:
- Increased need to pee
- Straining while you pee
- Feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied.
The NHS advises not to ignore symptoms like these, but symptoms like these can also signal different condition.
Sometimes, they might be pointing to other causes, such as prostate enlargement.
The prostate enlargement usually affects men over 50 and isn’t a serious threat to health.
However, if you do get diagnosed with prostate cancer, there’s a variety of treatment possibilities available. The NHS says their aim is to cure or help control the cancer so it affects you as little as possible.
Sir Rod added: “If you’re positive, and you work through it and you keep a smile on your face… I’ve worked for two years and I’ve just been happy, and the good Lord looked after me.”
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