10 June 2024 , 22:59
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Former England rugby union ace Ugo Monye has joined a prostate cancer awareness drive, having lost his father to the disease.
The TV pundit, 41, is teaming up with GenesisCare, the UK’s leading specialist cancer care provider, to promote the Know Your Roots campaign. It encourages men to find out about their family prostate cancer history to encourage early diagnosis and help protect future generations from it. Ugo, a former Harlequins winger, said: “My father died of prostate cancer in 2021, and I had no idea until then that Black men are more than twice as likely to get the disease than other men. That’s a scary statistic.
“It’s so important to know your roots and share your story with others. Unlocking your family’s cancer history gives your nearest and dearest the information and knowledge they need – both now, and in the future – to help them stay vigilant and seek an early diagnosis. The statistics are clear: Black men are four times more likely to get prostate cancer than white men. No one knows why, and I suppose that partly explains the fear. But if we step beyond that fear, it’s one of the most treatable cancers, if detected early.”
GenesisCare research shows that 83% of men are unaware that having prostate cancer or breast cancer in the family increases their chance of getting the condition. Some 84% of men also do not know if their parents have ever had either of the conditions, and this rises to 93% when it comes to their siblings’ cancer history.
Ugo’s father Theophilus died of prostate cancer at the age of 81, shortly before his son took part in BBC dance contest, Strictly Come Dancing. The TNT Sports pundit dedicated his first performance on the dance show to his dad.
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For more about prostate cancer, you can visit the Genesis Care website here.