“If I hadn’t paid for a private health check, I’d never have known I had prostate cancer.”

When former York restaurant owner Christopher Holder reached his mid-50s, he decided to pay for a private health check.

Motivated by the death of his father from a heart attack, Christopher signed up for the blood test after seeing an advert in the newspaper.

“I was relatively fit and active, but at that point I’d been having some chest pains, and I just thought it was time to get myself checked,” he explains.

“The health check cost £150 and took place at a hotel. It involved a simple blood test that they took lots of readings from. They asked about my family history, and I ended up paying a bit more to have a few additional things checked.

“Then they tried to convince me to pay for even more tests, but I decided not to, and the results came back absolutely fine.”

Three years later, Christopher saw the health check advertised again and this time, he paid the extra money to have the extra tests, which, unknown to him, included a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.

When the results came back, they showed that his PSA level was significantly raised, and he was advised to see his doctor urgently.

The PSA test measures the amount of a protein called ‘prostate specific antigen’ (PSA) in the blood. PSA is produced by both normal cells and prostate cancer cells. A raised PSA level can mean there is a problem with the prostate.

Men aged 50 or over can ask their GP for a free PSA test, however the test is not routinely offered through the NHS because it is not considered a reliable way of screening for cancer in people without symptoms. It is possible to have a raised PSA level and not have cancer, and it is possible to have cancer without a raised PSA level.

Christopher says: “I’ve been told that even at 50, people are going to the doctors and asking about the PSA test, and they are not being welcomed with open arms. They’re asked if they have symptoms, and if they don’t then they’re told they don’t need one.

Christopher went to see his GP, who sent him to a specialist at the hospital. Small growths called ‘nodules’ were found on his prostate, and a small sample of tissue was taken to be examined under a microscope and checked for cancerous cells. Following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“My diagnosis was a rude awakening. It really set the cogs off in my mind. I started wondering what might have happened three years ago if I’d paid for the extra tests,” Christopher says. “For the sake of £70, I could have lost my life. Catching things early can make a massive difference.”

Christopher was quickly booked in for surgery to remove the cancer. He had a robot-assisted operation called a ‘prostatectomy’ and recovered well at home.

However, doctors found that the cancer had spread to his spine, and he then had several courses of radiotherapy.

He is now being treated with a type of hormone therapy called ‘LHRH implants’, which can help manage the cancer by slowing down or shrinking it.

“To this day, I don’t know if I have incurable cancer, and I don’t know how long I’ve got left. My doctor has suggested that it’s never going to go away and it’s about managing it,” Christopher explains.

“I have asked if, in the coming years, I don’t have a heart attack and I don’t get hit by a bus, will cancer kill me? And my doctor said it will. But they have suggested I stay on the hormone treatment for another year, so there’s some hope there. They say there’s still the possibility that they may have cured the cancer.”

Since receiving his diagnosis, Christopher has sold his restaurant business and now plans to spend his time travelling, going to the gym, playing tennis and golf, enjoying time with friends and providing free consultancy services.

He’s also joined Yorkshire Cancer Research’s Research Advisory Panel, which plays a vital role in helping the charity review funding applications for research programmes and ensures those awarded funding will have the biggest possible impact on cancer for people in Yorkshire.

Christopher says: “Selling my business was a kneejerk reaction, but it was a weight off my shoulders. I then realised I needed to find other things to do. You can quickly fall into a downward spiral, and I wanted to make sure I still had a purpose."

Christopher is now passionate about sharing his experience with prostate cancer to encourage men to come forward and get tested if they have the opportunity.

He has welcomed IMProVE, a new prostate screening trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, which will test a more effective way to screen for prostate cancer with the aim of providing crucial evidence for the development of a national screening programme.  

“It’s helped me to read about other people’s experiences. I think it really does give you a bit more strength knowing that there are other people going through it and you can still have highs,” Christopher adds.

“When celebrities and high-profile people like Chris Hoy speak publicly about being diagnosed, it can have a real impact. More people go for testing, so I’d love to be a tiny part of that. I want to bang the drum and encourage men to get checked. It would be amazing if prostate screening became available for everyone.”