Rugby league star reveals family cancer ordeal as five struck down

Former State of Origin player and Gold Coast Titans prop David Shillington knows he could be a ticking time bomb, with five family members diagnosed with the same cancer.

Former Queensland maroon David Shillington knows he could be a ticking time bomb, with five family members diagnosed with the same cancer.

Mr Shillington, a prop with the Gold Coast Titans until his retirement from the NRL in 2017, said prostate cancer was “more common than you think”, and he would be getting tested regularly for the disease which kills nine men every day.

Former NRL player David Shillington at his Camp Hill home. Picture: Richard Walker

The 38-year-old Camp Hill father of two, who also played for Australia, said five close relatives had battled it.

“Early detection means you can have a really good outcome so it’s important to not avoid a check-up,” he said.

“My Dad had a scare last year but secondary tests cleared him, but knowing five other men in our family have had it gave us a fair fright.”

He said he would be following his two older brothers and getting a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test when he turned 40.

“It’s not invasive and results are reliable,” said Mr Shillington, who last year founded mental health support organisation Wellbeing Code.

Every year, around 20,000 Australian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 3000 will die from it.

David Shillington in a 2016 game between the Gold Coast Titans and New Zealand Warriors. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

New data released by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia shows younger men may be unaware of their “ticking cancer time bomb”.

Foundation CEO Professor Jeff Dunn said many men over 40 were “clueless about their own risks”.

“While we get a large number of calls from daughters and partners seeking guidance on how to support their loved ones after a diagnosis, less than one per cent of calls to our telenursing service are from sons,” Prof Dunn said.

Having a direct family member diagnosed with prostate cancer increased a man’s risk by 50 per cent, with two or more close family members increasing it five-fold.

The foundation recommends men in the latter category talk to their doctor about a PSA test from age 40, and other men at average risk from age 50.

September is prostate cancer awareness month, and includes The Long Run fundraising challenge for Australians to run, walk, or wheel 72km over four weeks. Go to thelongrun.org.au or phone [phone] for support.