Men are living longer after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The most recent figures show more than 75 per cent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer survive beyond five years.

While the majority of men are surviving prostate cancer, some have side effects of treatments - including bladder and bowel problems and erectile dysfunction. March is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and the message from Macmillan Cancer Support is „we‟re here to help‟. A range of Macmillan services are available to help men come to terms with prostate cancer.

Maureen Rutter, Director of Macmillan Cancer Support in the North of England and the East Midlands, said: “We know it can be difficult to talk about cancer and this is why we provide lots of different ways to find the support you might need. You can call our support line, email an expert, visit our website or pop into one of our information centres to talk things through. If you want to speak to people who have been in a similar situation, we can put you in touch with a support group or you can sign up to our online community.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. More than 36,000 men were diagnosed with the disease in 2007.

David Tyson, Macmillan Urology Nurse Specialist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “For many men, especially after an early diagnosis, treatment is successful and they just want to get their lives back to normal and put it behind them.”

For cancer support at home, over the phone, call the Macmillan Support Line free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm) or visit www.macmillan.org.uk