What is prostate cancer and how is it diagnosed?
Prostate cancer is the UK’s most common male cancer, with one in eight men diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. However as Ben tells Anna, the fact the condition can often be symptomless only highlights the importance of males getting their prostate checked. Fortunately, in recent years the growing awareness surrounding prostate cancer and other problems such as infections and enlarged prostate has led to a surge in men being screened.
This is in no small part thanks to the likes of Stephen Fry, who was publicly vocal about having his prostate removed in 2018 – with the operation carried out by none other than Ben Challacombe, from The Prostate Centre, himself.
Listen now to Probing the Prostate:

Episode 15 - Probing the Prostate
Listen now
Things we learn in this prostate podcast episode
Prostate cancer Fact
Prostate cancer Fiction
Prostate genetics Fiction
Enlarged prostate Fact
Prostate referral Fact
Useful links from today’s show:
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Mr Ben Challacombe
Ben trained at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, The Royal Marsden Hospital and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he was awarded the prestigious Rowan Nicks Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Ben is currently the Oncology Section Chairman of the British Association of Urology (BAUS), and in 2019 will be awarded the BAUS Golden Cystoscope for contributions to British urology within 10 years of consultant appointment.
Ben has performed over 1000 robotic radical prostatectomies, over 1100 robotic upper tract procedures, and in 2002 performed the first randomised trial of telerobotics between Guy’s and Johns Hopkins Hospitals. Ben also performs holmium laser prostatectomies with an experience of over 900 cases. His current research interests are in robotic surgery training, trans-perineal template biopsy techniques, active surveillance of low risk prostate cancer, sentinel node techniques and haptic probe development in robotic surgery.
Ben is the Associate Editor of the British Journal of Urology (BJUI), with over 230 peer-reviewed publications, 3 books, and 25 book chapters on minimally invasive and robotic urological techniques. Alongside this, Ben is a Trustee of The Urology Foundation Charity for whom he regularly lectures.




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