Joke on lads’ trip led to lifesaving cancer diagnoses for pair of brothers

Two brothers who got tested for cancer on a whim have had the same surgery weeks apart after receiving the same diagnosis.

Keith Powell and his younger brother Alan both took a test for prostate cancer after being inspired by a chance remark about how many times ‘men of a certain age’ go to the toilet every night.

Neither of them had any inkling they had cancer – which is fairly common for people with prostate cancer, as it usually takes years to develop.

Alan received his diagnosis after taking a PSA test, and it wasn’t long until Keith followed suit and took the test himself, receiving the same results.

Alan, a 66-year-old dad of two, explained what prompted him to take the test in the first place: ‘I was sharing a cabin on an overnight ferry with a group of friends and we ended up laughing about the amount of times men of a certain age get up in the night.

‘The next time I was at my GP I asked for a PSA test.

‘I had no symptoms at all and considered myself to be a reasonably active man, so what happened next was a bit of a shock.’

Following the PSA test, Alan, who will become a grandfather later this year, had an MRI scan and biopsy before receiving the cancer diagnosis.

He went for surgery last October at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, where pioneering robotic technology was used to remove his prostate.

The news of Alan’s diagnosis prompted 68-year-old big brother Keith to take the same test himself.

He’d previously been treated for skin cancer, and the PSA test returned a similar diagnosis to Alan’s.

Earlier this week, Keith went to the same hospital and received surgery from the same surgeon, Consultant Urological Surgeon Wiss am Abou-Chedid.

He said he felt lucky his younger brother got tested on a whim, and that they both caught their cancer early.

‘Ahead of my surgery I was quite confident as I had been out for dinner with Alan who told me exactly what to expect,’ Keith said.

‘If he hadn’t decided to get tested, neither of us would have known we had cancer.

‘I feel very fortunate that we both caught it before it had spread.

‘The speed that it has been dealt with for both of us has been fantastic.’

Mr Abou-Chedid explained how a family history of prostate cancer can increase the risks of developing it – Keith and Alan’s father had been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate later in life.

‘The causes of prostate cancer are largely unknown, although certain things can increase the risk of a patient developing the condition,’ he explained.

‘You are two-and-a-half times more likely to get prostate cancer if your father or brother has had it, compared to a man who has no relatives with the illness.

‘Although it can run in families, having a family member with prostate cancer does not necessarily mean that you will get it.

‘However, I would advise you to speak to your GP if you have a relative with prostate cancer, ovarian or breast cancer as your risk may be higher.’

The Royal Surrey County Hospital is one of the only single-site NHS Trusts in the UK to have four cutting-edge robots all dedicated to performing surgery.

As a result, patients benefit from shorter hospital stays, quicker recovery, reduced blood loss and discomfort post-surgery.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.