Virgin Media boss diagnosed with prostate cancer

The boss of Virgin Media O2 is to temporarily step back from running the telecoms business to undergo treatment for prostate cancer.

Lutz Schüler’s diagnosis was announced on Thursday. The company said the cancer was detected after a routine health check.

“Thankfully, this has been caught in the early stages, his prognosis is very positive, and he’s expected to make a full recovery following surgery in the coming days,” the company added.

Virgin Media O2 said the 56-year-old’s recovery is expected to take between four to eight weeks.

In the meantime, his duties will be covered by Patricia Cobian, the chief financial officer, who will be supported by other executives.

The company said: “We wish Lutz a speedy recovery and look forward to having him back to his usual fighting-fit self.

“We want to use this moment to raise awareness of prostate cancer and encourage men to regularly get checked by their GP or health provider.”

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men in the UK. It accounted for 14pc of the total – or 12,309 deaths – from 2017 to 2019, according to Cancer Research UK.

One in six men are diagnosed in their lifetime and the disease has not been clearly linked to any particular factors, the charity says.

But the cancer tends to develop slowly and may not show signs for years, usually only becoming visible when the prostate is large enough to affect a man’s urinary tract.

That makes health check-ups a particularly vital way to detect cases early, at which point they are easier to treat.

Warning signs include difficulty urinating, the need to urinate often, blood in urine and erectile dysfunction, according to Cancer Support UK.

King Charles helped to highlight the need for men to have prostate health checkups earlier this year when the sovereign revealed he was preparing to undergo a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate.

At the time, Buckingham Palace said the King was receiving treatment “in common with thousands of men each year”.

Benign prostate enlargement, the formal term to describe an enlarged prostate, is common among men aged 50 and above and is not cancer. However, it can be an indicator of cancer, according to Cancer Support UK.

The King’s announcement in February led to a huge spike in internet searches for information on the NHS’s website about the condition, with the page dedicated to enlarged prostates receiving 11 times more visits than on the previous day.

NHS England said this was equivalent to one person visiting the website every five seconds.