Tennis Legend Björn Borg Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis And Journey

International Tennis Hall-of-Famer Björn Borg serves up some striking news in his new memoir entitled “Heartbeats,” which is due to come out in the U.K. on September 18 and the U.S. on September 23. The last chapter of the book mentions the 11-time Grand Slam singles champion being diagnosed with “extremely aggressive” prostate cancer in 2023 and undergoing surgical removal of his prostate in February 2024. Borg seemingly is back in the swing of thing, though, as he recently told the Associated Press that has been in remission and “doing fine” since that operation. However, Borg did add, “every six months I have to go and check myself. The whole process, it’s not a fun thing.”

Yeah, “fun” is not the first word that comes to mind when you think of prostate cancer. It’s probably not the second, third or tenth word either. Globally, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer, right behind lung cancer, and fifth leading cancer cause of death, following lung, liver, colorectal and stomach cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s already the most common cancer among men in 112 different countries, comprising around 15% of all male cancers around the world and getting commoner. I’ve written previously in Forbes about how the number of new prostate cancer cases is predicted to go from 1.4 million in 2020 to 2.9 million by 2040. Right now, the average age of diagnosis is around 67 years, which is roughly the age at which the now 69-year-old Borg was diagnosed.

The First Sign That Borg Had Prostate Cancer Was In September 2023

The first sign of trouble for the 11-time Grand Slam singles champion came in September 2023 when testing raised concerns. This was presumably a PSA test, which in this case doesn’t stand for Public Service Announcement. No, here PSA is an acronym for prostate-specific antigen, a protein that’s produced by any kind of prostate cell, whether noncancerous or cancerous. Your prostate, if you are male and have one, normally sits right below your bladder. That’s why your semen, which includes fluid from your prostate, will include PSA. Normally, a small amount of PSA will make its way into your blood as well.

Your blood PSA is considered normal if it is below 2.5 nanograms per milliliter when you are age 59 or younger. This threshold increases to 4.0 ng/mL reach age 60. Just because your PSA blood levels go above these thresholds doesn’t necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer. Anything that perturbs or enlarges the prostate could in theory increase PSA levels. This includes an enlarged or inflamed prostate, for example, from benign prostatic hypertrophy or an infection. A recent urological or pelvic procedure like a cystoscopy or a colonoscopy or certain medications like testosterone replacement therapy can boost PSA blood levels. So can sexual activity, riding a bicycle or doing both at the same time.

It’s important to regularly check your blood PSA levels once you get past a certain age. This is 50 years of age onwards for most men, 45 years onwards if you are higher risk meaning that you are African American men or have father or brother who was diagnosed with prostate cancer when younger than age 65 and 40 years onwards if you are at even higher risk, meaning you have more than one first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer when younger than 65 years of age. That’s because prostate cancer usually won’t cause any symptoms until it’s spread significantly. Borg told the AP that he had been testing “for many, many years,” and “The thing is that you don’t feel anything — you feel good, and then it’s just happened.”

Borg Delayed Follow-Up Of His Test

The next step after an elevated PSA, depending on the level, may be repeating the PSA after a short period of time to confirm that it remains high and an oh-so-fun rectal exam to feel for any abnormalities. Should any concern remain, your doctor may want you to proceed to getting a prostate biopsy. A prostate biopsy is even less fun, so in some cases your doctor may want to check an MRI scan first.

When covering in Forbes Alonzo Mourning’s prostate cancer journey, I described what’s invovled in a prostate biopsy. Borg’s doctors apparently wanted Borg to have such follow-up immediately. But as he told the AP, he “didn’t listen” and instead proceeded with his plans to fly from Stockholm, Sweden, to Vancouver, Canada, where he was scheduled to serve as captain of Team Europe in the Laver Cup.

Borg Had To Go Through A Challenging Wait Before Going Through Surgery

Upon his return, though, further testing did reveal that he had prostate cancer. He then was scheduled to go for surgery in February 2024. Typically, it’s recommended to wait four to eight weeks after a biopsy before proceeding to surgery to give your prostate and the surrounding tissue time to heal first. This makes it easier to successfully perform the surgery.

Not surprisingly, this wait can be a very, very difficult time. Borg indicated to the AP that this was “psychologically … very difficult, because who knows what’s going to happen?”

Borg likely underwent what’s called a radical prostatectomy. This isn’t a political statement about the surgery or the surgeons. It’s called radical because it not only removes the entire prostate but also the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes.

Getting such a procedure obviously is not fun—are you sensing a trend here? Besides the pain, discomfort and fatigue from the surgery and general anesthesia, you are typically left with urinary leakage and incontinence and erectile dysfunction for at least a while. Therefore, both pelvic and sexual rehabilitation are needed in attempts to restore partial or full function. Both of these can be long roads.

Borg Has To Continue To Go Through Monitoring

Moreover, even though the prostate and surrounding tissue have been removed. there remains the risk of recurrence. Therefore, you have to go through regular blood tests to check PSA levels. This is typically every six months for the first five years after the surgery. Since you are no longer supposed to have any prostate tissue in your body, these levels should be undetectable. Any presence of PSA in your blood will need to be closely monitored. If PSA levels do get above certain levels, you may to get additional treatment for the recurrence of prostate cancer. Borg’s most recent testing in August was reportedly reassuring.

Therefore, the prostate cancer journey doesn’t end with initial treatment for anyone. Borg’s book includes a passage that says, “Now I have a new opponent in cancer — one I can’t control. But I’m going to beat it. I’m not giving up. I fight like every day is a Wimbledon final. And those usually go pretty well, don’t they?” The last thing may be easy for Borg to say as he won five straight Wimbledon men’s singles titles from 1974 to 1981 along with six French Open men’s singles titles.

Since Borg stunned the tennis world by walking away from the game at age 26 while still at his peak, he’s remained largely away from the limelight. He’s rarely granted interviews. So you could in different ways call his new book a Björn again situation. This will be the first that many have heard about Björn Borg’s life in years. Plus, when you go through a prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, it changes you forever. You can no longer look at life in the same way.