A man said his friend’s prostate cancer diagnosis saved his life – after he got checked out and discovered he had it too.
Rupert Crowfoot, 57, discovered he had the disease on December 27, 2023, after speaking to a friend about his prostate cancer diagnosis.
He underwent a successful operation to remove his prostate in February 2024.
But his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels continued to rise – which worried his doctors.
He then had a PET scan and was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer in August 2024 and is about to undergo radiotherapy – to kill cancer.
Rupert, CEO of a physio company, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, said: “If I didn’t have that chat with my friend and go for a check-up – my outcome would have been much worse.
“I am very grateful that I had that conversation with my friend and he shared the information with me.
“I have since had the same conversation with a lot of my friends to share my experience.
“Men need to speak out about their health more – it is the biggest cancer killer for men.”
In October 2023, Rupert was having a conversation with his pal, James, who revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had his prostate removed.
Rupert said: “I had no symptoms whatsoever, my friend who had been living in Australia for 20 years had come to visit.
“He mentioned how he was previously diagnosed with prostate cancer and we got talking about it.
“It was on the back of that, I went to see my GP.”
Rupert had an appointment in October 2023 to have a blood and PSA test.
He also underwent an MRI scan and a biopsy and on December 27, 2023, Rupert was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Rupert said: “I was lucky as I felt like I knew it was coming, my consultant had been clear to say that he didn’t like the look of the results.
“The biopsy confirmed that for sure.
“But it is not something you want to hear.
“It is always a shock and a body blow, you always think it won’t happen to you.”
In February 2024, Rupert had an operation at Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, to remove his prostate.
After the operation, scan results showed that Rupert’s PSA levels had risen and he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer in his spine in August 2024.
Dad of three, Rupert, said: “That was the toughest part if I am really honest.
“That call I took felt like a punch in the stomach because you think the prostate cancer diagnosis is the worst news you can get.
“You feel like you have dealt with it and then you find it has spread somewhere else – that was one of my lowest moments.”
Rupert is about to start radiotherapy, followed by six weeks of salvage radiotherapy – a cancer treatment for men who have had their prostate removed.
He said: “I am trying to remain positive and grateful for everything I can still do.
“I am not at the stage where I have lost my health but, I will get to that point and it will be very hard.
“I am trying to make the most of every day.
“It has certainly dialled things up, I am much more appreciative of life and I notice things a lot more.”
According to Prostate Cancer UK, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average.
Amy Rylance, Assistant Director of Health Improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re so sorry to hear about Rupert’s diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer, and we’re inspired by the energy with which he is living life with his diagnosis.
“It’s poignant to hear how his diagnosis meant he was able to start a conversation with his friend, who was then able to catch his own prostate cancer early and have lifesaving surgery.
“Rupert’s story illustrates just how important it is to talk about this disease, and who is at risk of it. 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer.
“We know that men over 50 — or over 45 if you’re Black or have a family history of prostate cancer — are all at higher risk of getting the disease.”
