Press release posted 15 July 2025
2 brothers from Wigan are both celebrating the end of successful cancer treatment after being diagnosed with prostate cancer within a month of each other.
Glen Wood (61) and Russell Wood (66) were treated by the same team at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, a specialist cancer centre in Manchester.
Both Glenn’s and Russell’s cancers are under control, and their consultant is hopeful they’ll need no further treatment.
Glenn’s story
Glenn, a vehicle engineer who lives in Tyldesley with Deborah, his wife of 40 years, was the first to be diagnosed. He went to see his GP because he noticed that he was getting up to wee several times a night, even though he hadn’t been drinking much.
Glenn had a blood test to check his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland, and a higher-than-normal level (typically above 4 nanograms of PSA per litre of blood) can be a sign of prostate cancer. Glenn’s score was 60. He had 3 scans and a biopsy to confirm it was cancer and was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in September last year.
“I didn’t know it was prostate cancer, but I knew something wasn’t right, so I went to see the GP about it. That would be my message to other men – you know your body best and should get checked if you’re worried.
“From my GP appointment right through to my treatment at The Christie, I can’t fault how I was treated. Everything happened quickly, and everyone I met was so kind and supportive,” he says. “The fantastic care I received made a difficult time that much easier.”
As Glenn’s cancer was aggressive, he needed treatment straight away. He was treated with hormone therapy to lower his levels of testosterone. Prostate cancer cells depend on testosterone to grow, so by lowering the levels, you can shrink the tumour or stop it from growing.
After finishing hormone therapy, Glenn’s PSA levels had dropped from 60ng/l to just 0.57 ng/ml. He also had radiotherapy at The Christie’s local radiotherapy centre in Salford.
Following his diagnosis, Glenn has been advocating for the men in his life to be more aware of their prostate health. In addition to encouraging his brother to get a PSA test, he reckons he’s encouraged nearly two-thirds of his colleagues to discuss their prostate health with their GP.
“Men are rubbish at speaking up when something’s wrong, and that needs to change. If I had put off going to the doctor any longer, my cancer might not have been as treatable as it was – and that doesn’t bear thinking about. That’s one of the reasons I’m sharing my story – to raise awareness and encourage men to be more open with each other.”
Russell’s story
Unlike his brother, Russell – a retired air systems engineer and grandfather of 5 who lives in Atherton – had no symptoms. Thanks to Glenn telling him to get checked after his own diagnosis, Russell’s cancer was caught earlier and so was less aggressive. As a result, he needed less treatment – just radiotherapy. He had his last session in May.
“When Glenn told me he had prostate cancer, it absolutely floored me. So then to be told I had the same thing was a shock – I really wasn’t expecting it. I’m so glad he encouraged me to get tested, because otherwise I’d have had cancer and not known.
“In a way, I’m glad we were both diagnosed so close together, as we’ve known what each other was going through and could support one another. We both had our radiotherapy at The Christie’s local centre in Salford and are under the same consultant, Dr Serra.”
Glenn also believes having his brother there helped him through his treatment.
“We were able to talk openly about what was going on, knowing the other one just got it. When I had my first radiotherapy session, I mentioned to the team that they’d be seeing my brother the week after, and they said they’d never treated two siblings at the same time before. Russ came to watch me ring the bell at the end of treatment, and I went to watch him – it was emotional for both of us.”
“Both Russ and I want to thank Dr Serra and everyone at The Christie for what they’ve done for us. They’re all amazing, and we couldn’t have been in safer hands.”
“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but it’s the first time I’ve treated 2 brothers at the same time,” comments Dr Maria Serra, Glenn and Russ’s consultant at The Christie. “It’s important that all men are aware of the symptoms – including peeing more frequently, especially at night, needing to rush to the toilet, and difficulty starting to pee. I’d encourage anyone who is worried about their prostate health to go and speak to their GP.”