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Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
In an interview with The Times, released on Sunday, November 23, Cameron, age 59, disclosed his diagnosis, which was identified following tests urged by his wife, Samantha Cameron, earlier in the year.
He explained, “You always hope for a positive outcome. When you have a high PSA score, the assumption is often that it’s harmless. When an MRI reveals some dark spots, you think, ‘That’s probably fine.’ But the moment the biopsy confirms prostate cancer, you face the words you’ve been dreading. As the doctor says them, you’re thinking, ‘Please, don’t say it. Oh no, he said it.’” (According to the Mayo Clinic, a PSA test involves a blood sample to screen for prostate cancer.)
Cameron, who led the country as Prime Minister from 2010 until 2016, shared that he has been undergoing focal therapy to address the cancer. This treatment, as described by the Cleveland Clinic, uses various forms of energy, such as heat or cold, to target and destroy cancerous cells.
Several members of the British royal family have also faced cancer diagnoses over the years. In February 2024, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer shortly after being admitted to The London Clinic for treatment of an enlarged prostate. “During The King’s recent hospital procedure […]
He told the outlet that his decision to go public with the diagnosis was deeply considered. “I want to, as it were, come out. I want to add my name to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening [program],” David explained. “I don’t particularly like discussing my personal intimate health issues, but I feel I ought to. Let’s be honest. Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off.”
David also noted, “I’ve got a platform. This is something we’ve really got to think about, talk about, and if necessary, act on.”
David and Samantha, 54, have welcomed four children together. Their firstborn son, Ivan, suffered from Ohtahara syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that occurs in infants, according to the Child Neurology Foundation, and died at the age of 6.
King Charles III made his first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer with his wife, Queen Camilla, by his side. Looking in good spirits as he and Camilla, 76, waved to the cheering crowd, the king, who is now Cancer Research UK’s new patron, visited a specialist cancer center in London on Tuesday, April […]
The couple are also parents to daughter Nancy, born in 2004, son Arthur, born in 2006, and daughter Florence, born in 2010.
In October 2024, David spoke candidly about the death of Ivan during an interview with Sky News. “Bringing up children is hard enough but if you have a child who is having seizures every day, is having to be fed through a tube and needs to be cared for all night as well as all day, who’s going in and out of hospital,” he told the outlet at the time. “I can still remember the chaos… you’re in hospital, then you’re back home, then you’re back again. I had just become an MP [when Ivan was born]. I remember turning up for debates in the House of Commons completely exhausted because I’ve been in St Mary’s Paddington [hospital] all night.”
He then reflected on the light his family managed to find while navigating his late son’s illness. “I remember this great blessing of having your first child. In spite of all the difficulties he had with the seizures and cerebral palsy and everything – you still remember this beautiful, smiling boy that you would rest on your lap and look after and love,” he told the outlet. “The extraordinary thing about grief is to start with, there’s nothing but black clouds. But after a while, happy memories do break through.”