I survived prostate cancer thanks to an eight second rectal exam

With the news this morning that the number of deaths in the UK caused by prostate cancer has overtaken breast cancer-related deaths for the first time, there has never been a better time to spread awareness about the disease.

Here, prostate cancer survivor David Kurk recounts his own story – and reiterates the point that getting tested is crucial, even if the results aren’t foolproof.

I’m not a particularly remarkable person. I moderate and host conferences for people for a living.

I’m divorced. I’m about to get re-married. I’ve got two grown-up children.

In about April 2013 I read an article about prostate cancer and it had never been on my radar before. I’d never thought about it.

And I just thought: ‘I’m kind of the right age, maybe I should go and get myself checked. What have I got to lose?’

I’m now 59. I was 55 when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

It’s not an admission of weakness to talk about prostate cancer. It’s actually a strong thing to go and get checked.

Getting checked for the first time

I had a blood test and it came back negative. It actually came back at 1.8, and 4 is the marker on PSA (prostate-specific antigen).

If it’s over 4 you need to be a little bit concerned and have a look, but I was all clear. The GP there also gave me a digital rectal examination, felt nothing and said everything was fine.

Luckily, he took a urine sample while I was there. He put some litmus paper in it and it changed colour.

He said, ‘Ah, it looks like you might have a bit of a bladder infection. I want to send you for a cystoscopy’.

It was a bit like one of those National Geographic underwater programmes – you actually see the inside of your bladder on a screen.

That was all clear too, but the registrar who conducted the cystoscopy suggested another rectal examination – belt and braces.

‘I heard the five words I never wanted to hear’

Eight seconds of a finger up my backside has probably given me another 20 years of life.

The registrar felt a nodule and recommended a biopsy. They took a biopsy in May of 2013 and on June 11 at 2:55pm my world fell apart when I heard the five words I never wanted to hear.

‘David, unfortunately we’ve found cancer.’

About 50 per cent of my prostate was full of cancer.

'The side affects post-surgery were impotence and incontinence' (Photo: Shutterstock)

A mate of mine suggested Prostate Cancer UK, and I got in touch with them. They were fantastic.

A nurse called John phoned me for two hours that night, so he kind of allayed my fears and we had a lot of discussions about options.

I was offered radiotherapy, brachytherapy and a radical prostatectomy – the most invasive. I opted, eventually, for the prostatectomy.

My thinking was that if I got it out of me and it hadn’t spread then it would be gone.

The impotence issue

The side affects post-surgery were impotence and incontinence. I worked on strengthening my pelvic floor to combat my loss of bladder control, and the symptoms do lessen the stronger those muscles become