Ultramarathon runner with a 'muscle strain' turned prostate cancer urges others to check their risk

When accountant Tony Collier, aged 60 from Altrincham, felt a pain in his groin whilst training for an ultramarathon, he expected nothing more than a muscle strain linked to his gruelling training plan.

In February 2017, shortly after completing the Paris and Manchester marathons just one week apart, Tony was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread extensively throughout his pelvis, ribs, hips, spine, neck and skull. His clinical team gave him a worst case prognosis of just two years to live.

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in males in the UK, with the disease often showing no symptoms in its earliest stages. This Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is raising awareness of the risks of prostate cancer, as the NHS joins forces with Prostate Cancer UK for its ‘missing men’ campaign and free online 30 second risk checker.

Describing his condition at the time of his diagnosis, Tony explains there were “tumours everywhere”.

“That in itself was a major shock, but also indicative that it had been going on for a long time –but prostate cancer caught early can be cured," he said.

“My wife asked the urologist how long I’d had this cancer and he predicted around 10 years. Yet most men diagnosed early don’t have any symptoms which is really alarming. Cancer had never crossed my mind. I was only 60 years old at the time so that was a shock as I always thought it was an old man’s disease, and it isn’t".

Tony responded well to treatment and continues to live with cancer. He is an avid fundraiser and spends many hours raising awareness of the risks of the disease and highlighting the free, online Prostate Cancer Risk Checker.

“It’s very emotional - I’m one of the lucky