Former Olympic Sprinter Dwain Chambers Leads the Charge to Transform Treatment of Prostate Cancer

The former record-holding sprinter Dwain Chambers is heading up The Prost8 Challenge, an 8 kilometre “run, walk or even hop” set to take place at Lee Valley VeloPark in Stratford on July 9th.

Chambers, ranked in the top five of all-time British 100m sprinters, shifted his attention to the work of charity Prost8 UK after becoming aware of the staggering statistics surrounding prostate cancer diagnosis and the treatment options being offered to men.

The Prost8 charity was formed in 2019 to address the fact that many men are overtreated for low and medium grade prostate cancer in the UK and is working to expand coverage of a revolutionary treatment that uses focused ultrasound to transform the lives of scores of men.

Prost8 founder and former prostate cancer patient, Paul Sayer explained: “The Prost8 Challenge aims to raise money to enable us to deploy focal treatment suites into NHS hospitals around the country.”

“Roughly 12,000 men a year who are treated for prostate cancer will be offered invasive treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy unnecessarily. But the disgraceful truth is, this marks a rampant culture of overtreatment in cancer care.

“With focal treatment, thousands more men every year with prostate cancer will be able to live longer and have better lifestyle outcomes. Sadly, as things stand, new minimally invasive treatment options are not being made available by the NHS fast enough.

“Men with low or intermediate grade prostate cancer should have access to the very best treatment options and resources and not be forced to suffer life-changing effects such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. That’s why The Prost8 Challenge with the support of Dwain Chambers is vital to the Prost8 mission.”

Dwain Chambers said: “I was shocked to learn that one in eight men will contract prostate cancer in their lifetime… only to find out the rate is even higher among black men. One in four, to be exact!

“Black men also contract prostate cancer younger than other groups of men and it’s normally more aggressive.

“Not many people know that, if caught earlier, there are minimally invasive treatment options available which can successfully treat prostate cancer without drastically affecting quality of life.”

With 52,000 new cases of prostate cancer every year, there is a growing urgency to Prost8’s messaging and outreach with vast numbers of those most at risk continuing to be failed by under par treatment options on the NHS.

Rapid progress is being made, however, thanks to the work of Paul Sayer’s Prost8 who received High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU).

These efforts to fundraise and spread awareness led Chambers to team up with Prost8 founder Paul Sayer and City finance guru Malcolm Grieve, also managing director of Eighth Floor Events, the latter being instrumental in organisational efforts for The Prost8 Challenge.

Dwain added: “It is time that men with a lower grade, treatable prostate cancer diagnosis are saved from receiving the same invasive treatments as those given to men with advanced cancer.

“After all, prostate cancer could affect you or any man in your life. A partner, husband, father, friend, grandfather, brother or workmate!”

Registrations are now open for The Prost8 Challenge which is due to kick off at 10am on July 9th, 2023. The challenge costs £15 to enter with each finisher receiving a sustainable goody bag and medal. All participants are encouraged to raise sponsorship and donations for Prost8.