Sir Chris Hoy, six-time Olympic cycling champion, has revealed he has advanced prostate cancer. The 48-year-old says the cancer has spread to his bones and is terminal. Tributes have poured in and charities say raising awareness of the disease could help save other lives.
Prostate cancers can behave very differently. While some can spread quickly, others are very slow growing and may need minimal or even no treatment. The prostate is a gland that is about the size of a walnut which sits just below the bladder within the pelvis.
It surrounds the urethra - the tube that takes urine out of the body through the penis. Prostate cancer - abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth - often develops slowly. There may be no signs or symptoms for years and some people never develop any problems from it.
But in others, the cancer can be aggressive and deadly. Prostate cancer that's detected early has the best chance for successful treatment. One in six men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives, says Cancer Research UK.
It is most common in older age - among men over 75. Cases in the under-50s are rare. Men whose father or brother were affected by prostate cancer are at slightly increased risk.
It is also more common in black men. Prostate Cancer UK has a 30-second online risk checker , external . Speak to your GP if you think you are at higher risk of prostate cancer.
Around 52,300 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. The common ones are: These symptoms can be cau.