Sir Chris Hoy: NHS to review prostate cancer testing after cyclist calls for change

His news prompted a near eight-fold increase in NHS searches for prostate cancer symptoms over the following days.

“It’s been the toughest year of our lives so far by some stretch,” he told the BBC.

“Maybe people seeing this or hearing about my story – just by them asking their GP – will create enough of a surge of interest that people that make the decisions will go ‘you know what, we need to address this’. And in the long term this will save potentially millions of lives.”

He added: “I know what the end result will be. Nobody lives forever. Our time on this planet is finite. Don’t waste your time worrying about stuff that isn’t that important. Focus on the things that are.

“My perspective on life has changed massively. I am more thankful, I’m more grateful for each day. It’s been a tough year and it’s going to be tough ahead in the future too but for now, right here right now, we’re doing pretty well.”

The NHS advises men to speak to a doctor if they think they are higher risk of prostate cancer. A man’s risk of this cancer increases with age.

Cancer Research UK says the evidence so far suggests that routinely screening people using PSA would not greatly help prevent deaths, external and might instead lead to men having unnecessary treatment that could cause undue stress and potential side effects.

PSA is not diagnostic. A raised PSA level does not necessarily mean there is cancer. It can be elevated with other conditions too, such as inflammation.

If you ask for a PSA test, your doctor may advise you to think carefully about the benefits and disadvantages.

The full interview – Sir Chris Hoy: Finding Hope – will be shown on BBC One at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, 5 November and will then be available to watch on BBC iPlayer. You can also listen in full on BBC Sounds.