A mobile health clinic in a van is coming to Eccles and Swinton to spread awareness of prostate cancer to those most at risk.
The ThisVanCan scheme is ran by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance and is being offered for free to people with a prostate who are over 45 and are either black or have had a history of cancer.
The roadshow started on Tuesday July 18 in Walkden and is due to travel to Eccles today and Swinton on Saturday July 22.
People who have booked an appointment will have an informal, confidential chat with an NHS staff member about their risk of prostate cancer and have any questions answered.
They will then be given the chance to have a free Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test which would involve a sample of blood being taken from the patient’s arm. The results will then be sent back to the patient a few weeks after.
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Sotonye Tolofari, the clinical lead for urological cancers at Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance,explained why these specific groups of people are being offered the appointments.
He said: “We are targeting these people as these factors place you at higher risk of getting prostate cancer.
“We also know that, when caught earlier, prostate cancer is often more treatable and men make a full recovery.
“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but most men with early prostate cancer don’t have any symptoms. Therefore, its important men are aware of their risk and get checked before they have symptoms. If prostate cancer is caught early, before symptoms appear, it’s easier to treat.”
Mr Tolofari also went into detail about what the test measures and what the potential results would mean.
He said: “The PSA test is a blood test that measures the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in your blood.
“A raised PSA level may suggest you have a problem with your prostate, it does not necessarily mean that you have cancer.”
For more details about the ThisVanCan roadshow and how to book an appointment, visit the website.
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