Melbourne dad reveals how routine blood test caught aggressive prostate cancer at 52

At just 52, he felt perfectly healthy and was doing what he did every year; visiting his GP for his annual health check.

But after a simple blood test uncovered an aggressive cancer lurking in his prostate, he is now sharing his ordeal as a warning for men across the country, just as new testing guidelines are rolled out to boost early detection.

“In my head, I felt like I was too young,” the Melbourne community manager said of the sudden diagnosis.

His prostate-specific antigen blood test came back slightly outside the normal range, prompting his GP to repeat the test a month later.

When the second test also returned an abnormal reading, Mr Jacobs was referred to a urologist.

An MRI initially showed nothing, but his specialist persisted and recommended a biopsy, given Mr Jacobs’ father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer aged about 60.

Aggressive cancer was found throughout most of Mr Jacobs’ prostate, including high-grade areas rated four and five.

“It kind of shakes you to your core when you get that news,” Mr Jacobs said.

“I’ve got kids, I don’t want to miss out on any of that sort of stuff.”

Faced with treatment choices between surgery and radiotherapy, Mr Jacobs opted to have his prostate removed.

Eight months on from the keyhole surgery, he is cancer-free and reclaiming his life.

Following his procedure, he spent two days in hospital and had a catheter for two weeks, while specialised physiotherapy helped him recover from post-operative incontinence.

Mr Jacobs said he had since returned to cycling, work and playing AFL nines with friends, although he continues to undergo regular PSA tests every three months.

He spoke out as medical experts urged men to go and discuss their individual risk factors with their GP, rather than waiting for symptoms to appear.