Sir Ian McGeechan’s Great Black Cancer ‘completely gone and under control’

“So, when you hear that, after you’ve heard someone say to you, ‘I’ve had cancer,’ that’s very special. My prostate cancer is completely gone and under control, and I’m very happy.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with Prostate Cancer UK figures showing that more than 63,000 men are diagnosed each year and 12,000 of them die.

There have been increasing calls for annual testing, with the UK National Screening Committee currently assessing whether a prostate cancer screening program should be established.

“It needs that support from the government,” McGeechan said. “There should be a screening program because prostate cancer is curable.

“It would be a great shame if people missed out on the opportunity to get tested and not just be able to get it done instead of asking: ‘You can, right?’

As a fly-half, Leeds-born McGeechan earned 32 caps for Scotland – including nine as captain – and won the 1974 Lions series in South Africa before touring again with the team in New Zealand in 1977.

After progressing through coaching, he led Scotland to the Five Nations Grand Slam in 1990 and also oversaw a winning run as Lions coach in both 1989 and 1997.

“If you have cancer in the family, it makes sense to be able to do this screening and educate people and make them aware of some of the symptoms, because I didn’t feel sick, I felt fine,” he added.