Colin McFarlane recently revealed that he has been with early-stage prostate cancer. Moreover, he shared that he wants to raise awareness about the illness within the Black community.
Here is everything you need to know.
Colin McFarlane opens up about his prostate cancer diagnosis
Colin McFarlane admitted that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2022. In addition, it comes nine months after his brother discovered that he is also suffering from the same illness.
According to reports, McFarlane learned about the disease after he took a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Men can take it after a consultation with a doctor and also without any symptoms.
McFarlane recently sat down for an interview with Mirror where he got candid about his prostate cancer diagnosis.
Subsequently, he said that he has been tested regularly for the condition for the last eight years. Hence, the doctors were able to catch the disease early.
He mentioned, ‘I was already aware of the risk to me, so had been having annual and then six-monthly regular PSA blood tests with my GP.’
He continued, ‘Thankfully, just over a year ago, I had told my brother to get a PSA blood test otherwise he wouldn’t have been diagnosed, because he had no symptoms.’
The 61-year-old actor remarked, ‘As it’s a very slow-moving cancer I am in the best possible position to ascertain what treatment I would need in the future if that were ever deemed necessary.’
Colin McFarlane hopes to raise awareness about prostate cancer among Black men
Colin McFarlane has joined hands with the charity Prostate Cancer UK for their new awareness campaign. It specifically focuses to encourage Black men more than 45 years old to take a PSA test.
Additionally, he pointed out that one in four men is at risk of being diagnosed with the condition. He also shared that prostate cancer kills around 120,000 men each year.
McFarlane said that he urged his brothers to get checked after he was diagnosed with the disease.
He remarked, ‘Too many men Black men are dying from prostate cancer.’
He added, ‘They need to know that a simple blood test could save their life.’
Meanwhile, McFarlane is popularly recognized for acting as a police commissioner called Gillian Loeb in Batman Begins and its sequel, The Dark Knight.
Furthermore, his other on-screen credits include Doctor Who where he played Moran. He also lent his voice to the ITV game show named The Cube.