1 IN 3 MEN WILL DEVELOP CANCER IN THEIR LIFETIME
There are THREE cancers exclusive to men:
Prostate cancer -The biggest cancer killer in men
Testis cancer -Can strike in younger men
Penile Cancer - A rare men’s cancer
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the commonest cancer to affect men in the UK and, unfortunately, kills over 1000 men in the North West every year.
While it is true that many men are diagnosed with localised and very curable disease, one in five presents with disease that has spread away from the prostate, is incurable and commonly kills the patient.
It is a disease of “older” men but it is seen regularly in men in their 50s and becomes increasingly common through the next three decades.
Effective tests, including the PSA, are available to identify early disease but the absence of a national screening programme in the UK condemns many men to an unpleasant illness and an earlier than necessary death. Prostate cancer has a strong hereditary element and close male relatives of patients are at a much higher risk than average of developing the disease.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Prostate
Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancers, though not very common, are the commonest type of cancer seen in men between the ages of 20 and 50.
Early diagnosis of localised disease and excellent modern treatments ensure that the majority of patients can be cured, though currently not always without some residual problems relating to fertility.
Disease that spreads away from the testicle is also curable with intensive treatments but it is not always successful and research into more effective and less toxic treatments is ongoing.
Effective education of young men offers the best chance for early diagnosis and effective treatment but currently that is patchy, poorly coordinated and ineffective at a national level.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Testes
Penile Cancer
Cancer of the penis is a relatively uncommon type of skin cancer that can arise on the glans, foreskin or shaft.
It occasionally occurs in younger men but it is most frequently seen in men over 60. In most men it develops slowly as a localised irregular thickening of the skin or an ulcer that does not heal. It is more common in men who smoke, have a family history of penile cancer or have an unretractable foreskin and is less common in men who were circumcised as a child or a boy.
Nowadays it is probably caused by exposure to papilloma (wart) viruses many years before and therefore might be preventable in the future by immunisation. Because it is on a visible surface initially, it should be diagnosed while it is early but some men ignore the changes until complications set in. If diagnosed and treated early by surgery or radiotherapy it is a very curable cancer but late diagnosis is associated with spread that can threaten a person’s life.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Penis/Penilecancer
