Men Know More About Women's Cancer Than the Way the Disease Affects Men

by Jenny Hope | Mail Online | 04.20.2009

Men know more about breast and other women's cancers than those affecting only men, says a new survey.

One in three males claim to be most knowledgeable about breast cancer, compared with one in 10 who is fully aware of the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer.

Only one in five men admits to knowing a lot about prostate cancer, according to the male cancer charity Orchid.

Experts say men are still 'in denial' about male cancer and reluctant to examine themselves for telltale symptoms.

And most are happy to let women do the talking when they finally pluck up courage to go to the doctor's, says a leading male cancer specialist.

The survey of more than 800 adults comes as figures show men are just as likely to suffer from cancer, with around 144,000 men and 144,000 women newly affected by the disease each year.

The survey exposed men's ignorance about prostate cancer, for example, with one in six men (14 percent) saying they thought women could also develop it.

The disease, which affects the prostate gland found only in men, is the most common male cancer.

It accounts for 24 percent of men’s cancer cases, but one in five (21 percent) of men and women admit they don’t know anything about it. 

Testicular cancer scores higher on the awareness scale but men don’t seem to be acting on their knowledge to carry out life-saving checks.

Around three quarters of British men (73 percent) recognise that a lump in the testes could be a sign of testicular cancer but one in four still never check their testes.

Nearly one in three (30 percent) are not even aware they can check themselves for lumps.

This is in stark contrast to women, who are more likely to take their health in their own hands with only seven per cent of them saying they don’t check their breasts.

One in four Britons surveyed (23 percent) have a family member or close friend with testicular or prostate cancer.

Each year around 31,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and around 2,000 young men are diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Tom Powles, of the Barts and The London NHS Trust, said too many men were reluctant to act on early signs of cancer, when the chance of a cure is high and less debilitating treatment is needed.

He said 'I had a young man, a professional who works out at the gym, come and see me recently with a lump the size of an orange on his testicle.

'He said he'd noticed it four months earlier but thought it might go away.

'A lump on the testicle is cancer in 90 percent of cases, but if we'd caught it after one month the cure rate is very high and patients don't need any chemotherapy.

'Leaving it for four months means the cure rate drops to 50 percent and a lot more treatment is needed.

'It seems some men are in denial about symptoms that might be cancer - when seeing a doctor is the quickest way to set their minds at rest or start vital treatment.'

Mr. Powles said he was 'not surprised' that men were more knowledgeable about some women's cancers, such as breast cancer, than male-only diseases.

He said: 'Women are much more open about these diseases, the symptoms and what to do next.

'I often see couples when the man has had a cancer diagnosis, and it's always the woman who asks the questions and wants to know how we are going to tackle it.

'Men don't like to bother the doctor - even though that's what we're here for' he added.

Rebecca Porta, Chief Executive of Orchid which has launched a Male Cancer Awareness Week, said 'Male cancer awareness is a massive problem in the UK today.

'But thousands of cases could be prevented every year with just more knowledge.'

Copyright Mail Online 2009