Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and, if you live in north-west NSW. you are a further 4.4 per cent more likely to experience the disease.
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More than 20,000 new diagnoses are made every year in Australia, and 3500 deaths, but being proactive and having your prostate health-checked might be easier than you think.
The first step is a blood test; it is no longer a "finger in the bum - however, that may come later if something is picked up.
But what is worse, local support group president and survivor Brian Burgess asks - a few seconds of discomfort or a painful and premature death?
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"In Tamworth we are lucky to have a great centre with a great team of specialists, a robot, two urologists, a specialist nurse and a support group," he said.
"Get Checked Now" is the catch-cry of the support group this year, as the earlier any abnormality is detected, the more normally a man can continue living his life.
"A digital rectal exam is no longer recommended as the first line, but symptoms like erectile dysfunction and incontinence can have a significant impact, so get checked now and catch it early," Mr Burgess said.
"Our group has an incontinence program with a 100 per cent success rate, and are always open to talk about treatments, symptoms and options - but the starting point is talking to a GP."
Alarmingly, men with a prostate cancer diagnosis are 70 times more likely to suicide.
It is recommended that all men over the age of 50, or over 40 with a family history, talk to their GP about prostate health.
That's according to Tamworth's specialist prostate nurse Natasha Bissell, who has been in the new community-funded role for almost 12 months.
"I am very busy but always available and free to support any man, and their families, who are facing a diagnosis," she said.
"Rural men are more likely to die of prostate cancer because they are less likely to go to a GP, and less likely to access services - but it doesn't have to be that way here: we have the services.
"Often it can have no symptoms, but is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, so talk to your GP about getting checked."
