Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy says he has been “blown away” by a near eight-fold increase in NHS searches for prostate cancer symptoms since he revealed his terminal diagnosis.

The six-time Olympic champion, 48, said at the weekend that doctors have told him he has between two and four years to live.

In the 48 hours after he had confirmed the news, NHS England said there were 14,478 visits to their symptoms advice website, compared to 1,876 in the previous week – a rise of 672%.

It added the numbers peaked on Sunday with 8,816 visits.

In a video posted on social media, external on Thursday, Sir Chris said he had received “incredible kindness and support”.

“I now have a deep resolve to turn this incredibly difficult diagnosis into something more positive,” he added.

“I understand that there has been a massive increase in men seeking advice in prostate cancer in the last few days and that’s been a huge comfort to us to know that hopefully many lives could be saved by early testing.”

Sir Chris also said that he has written a book titled All That Matters, which will be released in November, about his illness and the story of his life since retiring from professional cycling in 2013.

He described the writing experience as cathartic for himself and his family, and said that he hopes the book can provide understanding around how families deal with a terminal diagnosis and to “remind us that all we have is now”.

NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson said: “We’re very sorry to hear about Chris’ prognosis, but his decision to speak so openly about it could save lives by encouraging people to come forward sooner with their symptoms.

“Thanks to his bravery, we have seen a significant spike in people accessing vital information on our website about the signs and symptoms of cancer.”