First Minister John Swinney has met with Sir Chris Hoy and his wife to discuss tackling prostate cancer at his official residence in Edinburgh. The champion cyclist was diagnosed with the disease last year before discovering it was terminal.
He spoke to the First Minister alongside Health Secretary Neil Gray in a roundtable at Bute House on Friday. Lady Sarra Hoy and others with experience of living with prostate cancer also attended the meeting.
Olympic champion turns activist
The Olympic gold medallist has swapped the track for activism since his diagnosis became public. He has been pushing both the UK and Scottish governments to do more to fight the disease whilst raising awareness among men of the signs of the condition.
Earlier this year, Sir Chris urged ministers to change NHS guidance on testing for prostate cancer. Currently, men over the age of 50 are considered to be at the highest risk, with the health service urging them to get tested.
Call for earlier testing
Sir Chris has called for GPs to proactively contact men known to be at higher risk earlier to offer a test. This includes those with a family history of prostate cancer who could benefit from screening before reaching 50.
"I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 47," he said. "By this age, my prostate cancer was advanced and could have been progressing from when I was 45 or even younger."
System change needed
"With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat," Sir Chris explained. "We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier and stop them getting the news I got."
The meeting represents part of ongoing efforts to improve early detection and treatment of prostate cancer across Scotland.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
