Interview 24

Age at interview: 58

Brief Outline:

Having had testicular problems in the past, and having experienced mild urinary symptoms recently, he was worried that he might be at risk of prostate cancer. In 2004 his GP suggested a PSA test. The result was "normal".

Background:

Occupation: Academic. Marital status: married. Number of children: 2. Ethnic background: White British.

Testicular problems in the past made him worry that he might develop testicular cancer or prostate cancer.

About the PSA test, yes, well the reason for asking for a PSA test was more immediately connected with worries about testicular than about prostate cancer although my GP explained that having a higher risk for the one didn't mean necessarily a higher risk for prostate but I still wanted the assurance. And the GP did explain that you don't necessarily get the assurance because there can be errors either way, in the jargon false positive and false negative which was explained to me. But, so my personal story goes back well to birth because I had an undescended testicle and this was not dealt with until I think my mid 20s or 30s and then it was discovered that I had no sperm production in the other one, I have a prosthesis, an artificial one, so at later times in life various GPs explained to me that this did carry a slightly higher risk of testicular cancer in the other one, in the surviving natural one and so I can't remember the occasion, I think it may have just been a routine check up but my GP said would I like to take the PSA test in view of the anxieties I'd expressed. But she did explain that there was no necessary connection between testicular cancer and prostate cancer. She explained the risks of getting a raised PSA and then not having prostate cancer but I was happy to accept the risks.

So I decided to have a PSA test for two reasons. One was that I have had testicular problems in the past and although the GP told me that there was no particular connection between having testicular problems and having prostate cancer still that was, it was a concern. And the other was that I'd noticed needing to go the toilet slightly more frequently and I'd heard that that was, or could be a sign of prostate problems, enlargement or whatever. And so for those two reasons when the GP invited me to consider having a prostate PSA test then I decided that I wanted one.