A FORMER international cyclist from Preston is helping raise awareness of prostate cancer and the lack of money there is for research into the disease.

Peter Ward, a member of the Preston Male Concern Support Group at Vine House Day Centre, was diagnosed as having the disease and has since researched as much as he can about the disease.

He said: "It came as a shock because I was feeling fit, enjoying life and cycling more than 100 miles on Sundays with my club.

"Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer affecting affecting men beyond middle age and some men in their thirties demonstrate evidence of the latent presence of this slow rate of growth disease."

Peter, pictured with Vine House's Margaret O'Donahue, believes the disease should be treated as a male equivalent to breast cancer.

Prostate cancer kills around 11,000 people per year in Britain and has an increasing mortality trend. Peter added: "The condition has been a Cinderella in terms of research and treatment.

"The Department of Health actually knocked £100,000 of funding off for prostate cancer while breast cancer research spending rose to £4,339,000.

"We are not by any means suggesting reducing the funding for research into breast cancer - but we would like to see an increase for the male disease.

"There isn't even a screening programme which would be quite cheap to run."

Director of services at Vine House in Ribbleton, Margaret O'Donahue, said: "At Vine House we provide respite car for cancer sufferers and try to uphold their quality of life for the duration of the disease."

The Prostate Cancer Charity - the only organisation dedicated to researching the condition - is currently trying to raise £8 million for a research laboratory.

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