World Cup goalkeeper Shaka Hislop reveals “fairly aggressive” prostate cancer diagnosis

Former goalkeeper for Newcastle, West Ham and Portsmouth - Shaka Hislop - has revealed he has been diagnosed with a “fairly aggressive” cancer. The 56-year-old said he had been treated for prostate cancer but that it has since spread.

Posting to Instagram, Hislop said he had undergone surgery following his initial diagnosis last year, however, recent tests have shown the cancer has now been detected in his pelvic bone. He said: “Roughly 18 months ago, I went for my annual physical and insisted on a PSA test, as I always do. This time around though my PSA was elevated.

“An MRI and biopsy quickly determined that I had a fairly aggressive prostate cancer. A year ago, almost to the day, 6 December to be exact, I had a radical prostatectomy, and I thought that was it.

“But then, six months later, my PSA was again on the rise and another scan showed that my prostate cancer had spread to my pelvic bone. I started on medication pretty soon after, and just this morning completed seven-and-a-half weeks of radiation therapy. The journey continues.”

Last week Government advisors, the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) said in a draft recommendation that prostate cancer screening should not be made routinely available for the vast majority of men in the UK.

Hislop, who played for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 World Cup, has urged anyone concerned to get themselves tested. “Doctors recommend that all men over the age of 50 get their PSA checked regularly. If you’re of African descent, that age drops to 40,” Hislop said. If you’re somewhere like the UK or somewhere else where PSA tests aren’t encouraged, you have got to insist.

“Having a history of cancer in the family doesn’t matter. I had genetic testing done and it showed no traits in my family, yet this year would show that, without going into too much detail, even that didn’t exclude everybody in my immediate family.

“The highest rate of prostate cancer mortality is in Caribbean men, so if you allow me to speak to my community, my people. Please, go get tested, know your PSA, track – its history. Prostate cancer is survivable if caught early enough. There are treatments for it. Testing saves lives. It saved mine.”