In the new documentary, Jimmy Tarbuck: The Laughs Are on Me, stars such as Bradley Walsh, Sir Cliff Richard and Les Dennis will appear in the programme. At risk of dying with prostate cancer, Jimmy is keen to raise awareness of the disease.
In February 2020, the father-of-three revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Jimmy urged all men “to go for tests”.
“I think after 50, just have a test, let them have a look at you,” he said.
“It is embarrassing,” Jimmy added. “Especially when the fella said to me ‘We’re going to give you the thumbs up’. I said ‘I hope not’. He roared laughing.”
Gaining a prostate diagnosis enabled Jimmy to start treatment where he is on injections and tablets.
By August 2020, Jimmy had heard some good news from the healthcare specialists.
“I have had pretty good reports,” he told the Sunday Mirror. “They have said, ‘You won’t die from it. But you can die with it’.”
READ MORE: JJ Chalmers health: Strictly star says overcoming his injuries is ‘more about the mind’
Prostate cancer
The NHS stated prostate cancer is “the most common cancer” in men living in the UK.
Symptoms of prostate cancer don’t tend to appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the urethra.
READ RELATED: The Jackson, Mississippi, Water Crisis Is a Public Health Failure Rooted in Systemic Racism
The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out to the tip of the penis.
Symptoms of prostate cancer can include the following:
- Needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)
- Straining or taking a long time while peeing
- Weak flow
- Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
- Blood in urine or blood in semen.
These symptoms do not always mean you have prostate cancer, as it can indicate a non-cancerous condition called prostate enlargement.
However, should you be experiencing any of the signs above, do discuss your symptoms with your GP.
Various tests will be arranged to diagnose prostate cancer, which can include a urine sample, blood test and digital rectal examination.
“For many men with prostate cancer, no treatment will be necessary,” said the NHS.
This is true when the cancer is at an early stage and not causing symptoms, but “watchful waiting” is implemented.
Watchful waiting is another term for monitoring the situation, to see if the cancer is likely to spread.
Prostate cancer “usually progresses very slowly”, so people can live for decades without needing treatment.
However, there are four factors the cancer care team will consider when deciding whether to go ahead with treatment or not; these are:
- The type and size of the cancer
- What grade it is
- Your general health
- Whether the cancer has spread to other parts of your body
Jimmy Tarbuck: The Laughs Are on Me will be broadcast on Channel 5, Sunday January 3 at 8pm.
Source: Daily Express
