PATIENTS at St Helens and Whiston hospitals will be among the first to be helped by a new global programme to improve the lives of men with prostate cancer.

The Movember Foundation announced what has been described as the largest ever investment in helping to change the way men live with prostate cancer.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will be the only hospital sin the north of England to benefit from the groundbreaking fund after it received more than £73,000.

During 2013/14, 235 patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer locally.

Specialists at the hospitals will be offering patients the chance to join the initiative which will help men who are receiving care for prostate cancer, and their families, to understand their treatment, exercise and diet, continence-management and the effects of radiation treatment.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK, with more than 40,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the country every year.

Symptoms include needing to urinate more frequently, difficulty in starting to urinate, weak flow and the feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully and a family history of the disease can have an influence.

Mr John McCabe, consultant urological surgeon, said: “Every man’s experience of living with prostate cancer is different and the initiative will help us further to provide a more personalised, practical programme that will address the individual needs of our patients and their families.

“Men have a reputation of sticking their heads in the sand where health problems are concerned, but I would urge all men to consider their health and consult their doctor at the first sign of any changes."

“Prostate cancer is a treatable disease and if diagnosed early, chances of surviving and leading a normal life are greatly improved.”