Prostate cancer diagnosis was ‘too late’ for me but may not be for you says terminally ill former assistant police chief Alan McQuillan

A former assistant police chief has said his cancer diagnosis came “too late” as he spoke out to encourage others to get checked out.
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Former PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan, who revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis in January, when he said in a radio interview he had been diagnosed with “an uncommon form prostate cancer”.

He is speaking out again to encourage others to take early action on possible prostate cancer so that it can be “contained to give you years more life”.

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In an appeal backed by the Health Minister Robin Swann, Mr McQuillan said: “For some time I had been having what seemed minor symptoms.

Minister of Health Robin Swann visits the Cancer Centre at the Belfast City Hospital. Photo/Paul McErlaneMinister of Health Robin Swann visits the Cancer Centre at the Belfast City Hospital. Photo/Paul McErlane
Minister of Health Robin Swann visits the Cancer Centre at the Belfast City Hospital. Photo/Paul McErlane

“My father had lived with the slow growing type of prostate cancer for almost 20 years so I just put the symptoms down to getting older. I wasn’t really worried and when I was finally diagnosed it was too late. The cancer was well established and mine is an unusually aggressive type that kills people quite quickly and cannot be stopped.”

He continued: “Most prostate cancers aren’t like that and, if they are caught early, they can be stopped or contained to give you years more life. So if you have any symptoms contact your GP – or if your partner has symptoms, please nag them until they contact their GP.

“Sometimes it’s not cancer and you will have peace of mind that you are OK – but in other cases it will be cancer and the sooner you get it the better your chances.”

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Mr Swann said: “I want to thank Alan for using his own experience to raise awareness of prostate cancer and potentially help other men.

“We know that early diagnosis is key to fighting this disease, however the pandemic has resulted in fewer men coming forward to their GP to get tested for prostate cancer. Therefore there will be men in Northern Ireland right now with undiagnosed cancer. So please listen to this message, check yourself and if you have concerns, contact your GP. Do not downplay symptoms or put off speaking to your GP. The earlier cancer is detected the quicker it is treated which can lead to better outcomes.”

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in Northern Ireland with around 1,100 men diagnosed with it each year.

The Minister continued: “Statistics around diagnosis of prostate cancer are worrying and while survival rates have improved significantly we believe we can do better. We are very clear that it is our ambition to build a world class service for people in Northern Ireland who have any type of cancer and we aim to do this through our new cancer strategy which will be published shortly. The strategy aims to ensure that everyone in Northern Ireland has equitable and timely access to the most effective, evidence-based referral, diagnosis, treatment, support and person centred cancer care.”