Initially reporting in February that he was undergoing cancer treatment, Hoy, 48, has disclosed that the disease has reached stage 4, with the primary tumour in his prostate metastasising to his shoulder, hips, ribs, spine, and pelvis.
And with the public announcement of his tough prognosis, visits for prostate cancer symptoms advice on the NHS website soared by 672%, with 14,478 visits to the page within 48 hours of the news- an increase of almost 8 times over the same period from the previous week.
On the day of Hoy’s announcement, visits to the site peaked at 8,816 visits— the equivalent of one visit every 10 seconds.
A father of two and a world champion athlete, since posting a statement on Instagram in February, Hoy has remained ‘optimistic, positive, and surrounded by love’ whilst undergoing his chemotherapy treatment, of which has showed promising results on the ‘sliding scale’. And with the medication Hoy is taking, a quarter of the men who initially tested the drug are still alive.
Hoy, who retired in 2013 yet continues to be a regular cycling commentator for the BBC Sports coverage as well as in the process of organising a charity ride Tour de 4 for 2025, has been significantly moved by the impact of his announcement, saying in a video posted to social media: “I now have a deep resolve to turn this incredibly difficult diagnosis into something more positive.”
"I understand that there has been a massive increase in men seeking advice in prostate cancer in the last few days and that's been a huge comfort to us to know that hopefully many lives could be saved by early testing."
Advice on spotting the symptoms of prostate cancer can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/
