BBC Sport presenter Kenny Macintyre reveals prostate cancer diagnosis

BBC Radio Scotland sports broadcaster Kenny Macintyre has announced that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The 57-year-old man announced the news live. Off the Ball while speaking to hosts Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove.

Kenny, from Dunblane, said he wanted to be tested every three months because of his family history – three of his uncles had the disease. He will be treated soon.

His announcement came after a UK expert body recommended that: Only men with a confirmed genetic risk of prostate cancer should be screened for the disease.

The UK National Screening Committee, which advises governments across the UK, said no to screening except for men with certain genetic mutations that lead to more aggressive tumours.

Tests for the disease are unreliableand it could lead to men being treated for a slow-growing cancer that won’t cause them any harm.

The treatment itself can also cause urinary incontinence and impotence, which can significantly affect quality of life.

Speaking on Off the Ball on Saturday morning, Kenny urged men over 50 with a family history of prostate cancer to have regular PSA tests, a blood test that measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate gland.

Kenny’s regular testing revealed a trend towards an increase in his overall PSA level, which led to an MRI scan and biopsy confirming the presence of cancer.

“Of course, this is not the news that anyone wanted to be told, but I’m very lucky to have caught this early and I believe it’s just because I pushed for regular testing,” he said.

“I had absolutely no symptoms and all examinations showed that everything was normal. Things could have been very different if regular check-ups had not revealed an increasing trend in my PSA levels.”

He added: “As it stands, I have a few treatment options available to me which will probably mean stepping away from broadcast at some point but now I am just taking each day as it comes and getting on with my life.

“I’m lucky to have such strong support around me – my family, colleagues and NHS staff have all been amazing.”

BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine said: “We are sorry to hear Kenny’s news but we applaud him for taking the decision to share this with our listeners in the hope it may encourage more men to get checked.

“Kenny has the full support of BBC Scotland and I know listeners will join me in wishing him all the best.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, causing 12,000 deaths in the UK each year.

Sir Chris Hoy, a six-time Olympic cycling gold medalist who has terminal prostate cancer, said he was “disappointed and saddened” that screening was unlikely to be made more widely available.

“I know firsthand that many, many lives have been saved by sharing my story following my own diagnosis two years ago. Early screening and diagnosis saves lives,” the Scot said.

Prostate Cancer UK said the committee’s advice would “deliver a blow” to tens of thousands of men. But Cancer Research UK said it supported experts’ advice.

There will be a three-month consultation before the committee meets again and gives its final recommendations to ministers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, who will each make their own decision on prostate screening.

Kenny Macintyre presents Open All Mics on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC One Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound channel.