THE furious wife of a terminally-ill father-of-three has hit out at the doctors who failed for 11 months to diagnose that he had prostate cancer.

Carol Fielding said she felt like Glyn, 42, had been ‘stolen from her’ as he faced a prognosis of just months to live.

Hospital bosses said that as prostate cancer in a man so young was ‘virtually unheard of’, they had focused on finding a ‘more likely cause’.

Now Carol, of Cambridge Street, Accrington, is urging young men with repetitive urinary problems to demand they are screened for the cancer.

She said her family was left with the agony of not knowing whether an earlier diagnosis would have saved his life.

Carol, 48, a full-time foster carer, said: “I’m really angry and Glyn is absolutely furious. My husband has been stolen from me. It is the most horrendous feeling in the world.

“It’s known as an old man’s cancer but they should have tested him.”

Glyn, who was too poorly to speak to the Lancashire Telegraph, was finally diagnosed four years ago.

For two years before his diagnosis his family said he had been suffering constant urinary problems and kidney infections.

While on holiday in Tunisia, Glyn, a former security officer and assistant manager of the Little Chef at Rising Bridge, was admitted to a hospital in the African country with severe water retention.

Doctors discovered he had an over enlarged prostate and advised them to seek medical attention when he returned to the UK.

The next day he was flown back to England and saw doctors from Royal Blackburn Hospital.

But Carol said medics dismissed the findings of the Tunisian doctors.

She said: “I will never forget that day.

“We flew back to Britain and saw Glyn’s urologist at Royal Blackburn Hospital and the doctors said ‘Your husband is far too young to have problems with his prostate.’ “11 months later he had a prostate examination and a biopsy. We were called into a room and was told he had prostate cancer.”

Carol said they should have done same tests carried out by Tunisian doctors. “It shouldn’t have been left it until 11 months later when they tested him”, she said.

Mr Fielding has just completed his 10th round of chemotherapy. The cancer has spread to his bladder and bones.

Doctors predict Glyn has just eight months to live but his condition has deteriorated over the last week.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said tests for prostate cancer were only carried out if there were clinical indicators which suggested the likelihood of cancer being present.

It is not NHS policy to routinely screen for prostate cancer. However it can now be done at the request of the patient.

Peter Weller, associate director of patient safety and governance for the trust, said: “We are very sorry to hear about Mr Fielding’s current circumstances.

“Although it is a very tragic situation, doctors at the time did perform extensive tests to get to the root of Mr Fielding’s condition.

“This has been reviewed by the trust’s Urology Specialists who have identified that prostate cancer in one so young is virtually unheard of.

“Many signs and symptoms pointed doctors away from the possibility of cancer, so further investigations and procedures were performed to find a more likely cause.

“If Mr Fielding or his family would like to get back in touch with us, we will of course discuss the matter further with him at this difficult time.”

John Neate, chief executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said the case highlighted the complexity of prostate cancer.

He also said there were complexities in relation to the test itself.

Mr Neate said: “The test can indicate if there is a problem with the prostate but it is not a specific test for prostate cancer, and it can give both false positive and negative results.

“It is also unable to distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive forms of the disease.

“This has meant that in the past many men with a slow-growing form of the disease might have been treated unnecessarily.

“It is for this reason that some GPs may feel reluctant to offer the test but should not stand in the way of such a request.

"It is essential that GPs guide men through the pros and cons of PSA testing, enabling them to make the right decision for them.”