Sharing stories on World Cancer Day 2021: Mr Christian Brown

03 February 2021 - To mark World Cancer Day, we spoke to Mr Christian Brown, Consultant Urologist at King's

Mr Christian Brown is a Consultant Urologist specialising in benign and malignant prostate disease. He cares for men with all prostate conditions including infections, urinary problems and prostate cancer.

We asked Mr Brown why it is important to raise awareness for World Cancer Day. He explained, “Men typically under-report personal symptoms such as urinary difficulties and sexual dysfunction, which may be caused by a prostate enlargement or cancer. Despite COVID-19, men can and must seek help when needed by their GP or specialist.”

Due to the pandemic, we have adapted our services to help our patients. Mr Brown explains how his team continued to care for patients. “We have continued to run our prostate diagnostic services as close to normal as possible. The difference is we are using telephone or video consultation more and more. If patients need scans, biopsies or treatments we are able to carry them out. However, some delays may cause anxiety so we spend more time, along with our specialist nurses, to help patients.”

Mr Brown explains why it is important to contact your health service if you have health concerns. “Patients may get a worrying symptom such as blood in the urine (haematuria). Due to access issues with GPs, we know nationally that 2-week wait for suspected cancer referrals has dramatically reduced. Since blood in the urine can be a sign of bladder or renal cancer, it is imperative that patients contact their GP so they can get referred and seen quickly in their local hospitals. Clinics to evaluate haematuria have been prioritised by the NHS and are still running in all hospitals.”