BBC star and food critic Giles Coren, 55, reveals shock cancer diagnosis
BBC star and food critic Giles Coren has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer.
The 55-year-old shared his news in his column for The Times.
Giles revealed his prostate cancer scare after doctors found a malignant tumour but said he won’t need treatment just yet.
His doctor reassured him that prostate cancer is a “slow cancer” that all men get if they live long enough but still sent him for an MRI scan.
The star first had a PSA test with a score of four, a level many doctors consider a warning sign, according to the American Cancer Society.
When the results came back inconclusive, he initially refused a biopsy.
But after his PSA levels climbed to six and then seven, he finally agreed to further tests at London’s Royal Free Hospital.
Now, doctors have found less than a millimetre of cancer in just three of 21 samples taken.
The tumour, while malignant, is not requiring treatment yet but will be closely monitored.
Giles has been a restaurant critic for The Times since 1993 and has won two prestigious awards for his work there.
In addition to the restaurant reviews, Giles contributes a weekly column which ranges from the personal to the political.
His banter and charisma saw him enter through the gates of TV land way back in 2005 when he regularly contributed to Gordon Ramsay’s The F-Word.
Giles’ only sibling is Only Connect presenter Victoria Coren, the wife of Peep Show star David Mitchell.
It comes after Olympic hero Sir Chris Hoy spoke out about his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis which he received last year.
The British cycling hero, 48, revealed in October that his prostate cancer is terminal.
Hoy was given two to four years to live by doctors.
Following this incredibly difficult news, the Scot has approached his condition with inspiring positivity.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hoy said: “I’m doing well. The best shape I’ve been in for over a year. I’m physically not in any pain at all.
“Treatment has worked really well, everything is stable and I couldn’t have responded better to it.
What is a PSA test?
You can ask for a PSA test at your local GP.
The test is used to check the amount of prostate specific antigens in a person’s blood, which can detect risks of prostate cancer.
While a higher reading can indicate old age, it can also mean a problem with the prostate (though this isn’t always necessarily cancer).
What’s a normal PSA level by age?
PSA levels can range from less than 1ng/ml to hundreds of ng/ml.
The NHS says that if you’re aged 50 to 69, your PSA level is considered raised if it’s 3ng/ml or higher.
They explain that a raised PSA level in your blood may be a sign of prostate cancer, however, other conditions, such as an enlarged prostate, prostatitis, or a urinary infection, can also cause your PSA levels to be higher.
It’s important to note that there are well-known issues with the test, meaning there is not currently a national screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK.
Cons of PSA test
- It can miss cancer and provide false reassurance.
- It may lead to unnecessary worry and medical tests when there is no cancer.
- It cannot tell the difference between slow-growing and fast-growing cancer.
- It may make you worry by finding slow-growing cancer that may never cause any symptoms or shorten your life.
“So basically in the current situation – the best-case scenario – I’m very grateful. It’s been an unimaginable year.
“Eighteen months ago, if you told me this is what was coming up, you couldn’t have imagined it, but that’s life, isn’t it?
“You get curveballs. It’s how you deal with it, and how you make a plan and move forward.
“I’ve been so lucky to have genuinely amazing people around me, from family, friends, medical support, the general public.”