Brothers receive cancer diagnosis within weeks of each other | News

Keith Powell, 68, underwent a radical prostatectomy just 12 weeks after younger brother, Alan, 66, had the same lifesaving operation at Royal Surrey County Hospital.

It was a chance remark on a lad’s holiday that led to retired gas and heating engineer, Alan, visiting his GP, which ultimately saw both siblings diagnosed with cancer.

“I was sharing a cabin on an overnight ferry with a group of friends and we ended up laughing about the amount of times men of a certain age get up in the night,” said the father-of-two from Lightwater, Surrey.

“The next time I was at my GP I asked for a PSA test, which is a blood test that can help diagnose prostate problems.

“I had no symptoms at all and considered myself to be a reasonably active man, so what happened next was a bit of a shock.”

Alan, who is due to welcome his first grandchild later this year, then underwent an MRI scan and biopsy before he received his cancer diagnosis.

At the end of October last year surgeons at Royal Surrey used pioneering robotic technology to remove his prostate.

The news led to older brother Keith, who has previously been treated for skin cancer, getting tested and receiving his own prostate cancer diagnosis.

Consultant Urological Surgeon, Wiss am Abou Chedid, who had operated on Alan, also performed Keith’s surgery on January 15.

“Ahead of my surgery I was quite confident as I has been out for dinner with Alan who told me exactly what to expect,” said Keith.

“If he hadn’t decided to get tested neither of us would have known that we had cancer.

“I feel very fortunate that we both caught it before it had spread.

“The speed that it has been dealt with for both of us has been fantastic.”

The prostate is a small gland, about the size of a walnut, in the pelvis and is part of the male reproductive system.

Neither of the brothers had any symptoms prior to their diagnosis, which is common as prostate cancer usual develops slowly over many years.

However, the brother’s father was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate in later life.

Consultant Urological Surgeon, Wissam Abou Chedid, said: “The causes of prostate cancer are largely unknown, although certain things can increase the risk of a patient developing the condition.

“You are two and a half times more likely to get prostate cancer if your father or brother has had it, compared to a man who has no relatives with the illness.

“Although it can run in families, having a family member with prostate cancer does not necessarily mean that you will get it. However, I would advise you to speak to your GP if you have a relative with prostate cancer, ovarian or breast cancer as your risk may be higher.”

Royal Surrey is one of the only single-site NHS Trusts in the UK to have four cutting-edge robots, which are all dedicated to performing surgery.

The state-of-the-art machines allow surgeons to use a control console to manoeuvre the robots’ arms, whilst using a minimally invasive approach, also known as keyhole surgery.

As a result, patients benefit from a shorter hospital stay, quicker recovery, reduced blood loss and discomfort post-surgery and much more.