'I saved my twin brother from cancer'

A man with stage four cancer has described how he saved his twin brother's life by insisting on a blood test.

Andy Gissing, from Portsmouth, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020, by which time the disease had spread to his bones, lungs and soft tissue.

The sailing instructor and RNLI volunteer said his brother reluctantly agreed to have a PSA test in 2025 and was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer which was still operable.

He said: "To people who don't want to get checked, I say 'Look through the lens of having to tell your children.'

"My brother would only go to the doctor if his arm was falling off. I did save his life."

Revealing his own diagnosis to his two children and his wife Polly was "the hardest day of my life", Andy added.

"Every time I see the consultant, they want to know what my [PSA] score is. They are living it with me."

Andy said his cancer probably took hold even before his first symptom, which was going to the toilet more at night.

He said he wanted to publicise his condition to raise awareness and to fundraise for private lutetium-177 treatment which could give him an extra 18 months of life.

The treatment, which delivers radiation directly to tumours, has shown positive trial results, Prostate Cancer UK reported in 2021.

Original Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor and the late former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull have both undergone lutetium therapy.

So far, RNLI and sailing colleagues have raised more than £53,000 of the £80,000 target.

Andy, who is on his third and final round of chemotherapy, said he was "humbled" by the donations.

He said: "When I was diagnosed in 2020, I was told I had as little as nine months.

"Chemo seems to be keeping the cancer at bay... But as my consultant has said, after that the cupboard is bare.

"Extra time would mean so much. And, if it is to be the last phase of my life, I would also like to play my part in testing a pioneering treatment."

Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland under the bladder and usually happens to men who are over 50 years old, according to the NHS.

PSA tests are available through the NHS for people with symptoms.

However, routine screening is only offered privately. Some local Lions Clubs host regular PSA testing events.

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