A SOUTH Ayrshire man has welcomed new £1.5million research project harnessing artificial intelligence to fight against prostate cancer. 

The project, funded by Prostate Cancer UK, will help doctors predict whether a man’s prostate cancer will be aggressive at the point of diagnosis – giving him the best targeted treatment quickly before it spreads.

A multidisciplinary team across the UK, led by Professor Ros Eeles at The Institute of Cancer Research, has collected data from blood and tumour samples belonging to 2000 men with prostate cancer across nine countries.

They will analyse them to look for unique genetic signatures in the samples from men whose cancer is aggressive. 

This tool will give doctors the power to give these men targeted, tailor-made treatments before it begins to spread.

Alex McCrindle is 62 and from Minishant. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012 after his doctor decided to give him a PSA blood test.

He said: “I was only 50 years old when I got diagnosed with prostate cancer. Generally, I felt fine, but I was seeing my doctor about suspected kidney stones, and while I was there, I was given various tests including a PSA blood test. 

“As my PSA was raised, I was referred for a biopsy which revealed the horrible news I had cancer.

"An MRI scan later showed that the cancer was more significant than we thought — covering more than half my prostate.

"The MRI meant the doctors knew exactly what they were dealing with and could target the treatment, so I’m glad that men have more access to MRI scans now when they’re getting tested for prostate cancer.  

“That was more than a decade ago; sadly, the cancer has since come back and it’s aggressive.

"However, because I’ve been getting regular check-ups, we’ve found it early enough that I’ll be able to have further treatment to hopefully get rid of the cancer again. 

“It’s through research that we’re getting better tests and treatment options so that more men can feel more confident they’ll be okay.” 

Prostate Cancer UK is launching a campaign to highlight the issue that 1 in 8 men are diagnosed with the disease, and that too many are finding out they have it by chance, often when it has spread and become harder to treat. 

The leading men’s health charity is encouraging everyone to play their part in stopping this by donating and supporting life-saving research.