Sir Cliff Richard has revealed he's been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer for the past year.
The 85-year-old British singer is best known for hits including Mistletoe and Wine, The Young Ones and Summer Holiday. Across his 65-year music career, he has won three BRIT awards and two Ivor Novella awards.
Richard first learned of the diagnosis after undergoing a health check for insurance ahead of his Australia and New Zealand tour.
Speaking to British breakfast show Good Morning Britain, he shared the good news that his cancer was 'gone at the moment.'
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"The good fortune was that it was not very old, and the other thing is that it has not metastasized," he explained. "Nothing had moved into bones or anything like that.
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"I don't know whether it's going to come back. We can't tell those sort of things, but we need to, absolutely, I'm convinced, get there, get tested, get checked," he added, calling for nation-wide prostate cancer screenings in the UK.
Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate, a small gland below the bladder that helps make semen, start to grow abnormally.
Despite being one of the most common cancers, it is often extremely treatable if found early due to its slow rate of growth.
Some 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the US, as per the American Cancer Society.
Being over the age of 50, smoking tobacco and being obese increase the risk of prostate cancer, says Mayo Clinic. So too can family history of prostate cancer.
The cancer can be treated via surgery to remove the prostate, radiotherapy and hormone therapy. If the cancer has spread, chemotherapy may be needed.
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
The Mayo Clinic has outlined five symptoms of early prostate cancer. Most of these affect people's toileting habits and might be brushed off as other health issues.
They include:
- Blood in the urine, which might make the urine look pink, red or cola-colored
- Blood in the semen
- Needing to urinate more often
- Trouble getting started when trying to urinate
- Waking up to urinate more often at night
More advanced prostate cancer, which may have spread throughout the body, presents differently. Symptoms to look out for include:
- Accidental leaking of urine
- Back pain
- Bone pain
- Difficulty getting an erection (erectile dysfunction)
- Feeling very tired
- Losing weight without trying
- Weakness in the arms or legs
If you have any concerns, contact your doctor.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Ellie Kemp