Recent research shows that men are almost 40 per cent more likely than women to die from cancer. Worse still, Scotland has the highest overall cancer mortality rates for both males and females, at 17 per cent and 16 per cent higher than the UK average, respectively. These are the shocking statistics that the Men’s Health Forum Scotland (MHFS) are working to highlight during this year’s national Cancer Awareness Week (starting 25 January 2010).
The Scottish charity, which seeks to improve the quality of men's lives by raising awareness of men's health and wellbeing issues, hosted a key seminar last month with the world’s first professor of Men’s Health, Alan White of Leeds Metropolitan University. It is this research which has identified that men in Scotland are not only more likely to develop and die of those cancers that should affect men and women equally, but that they have a 17 per cent higher cancer mortality rate than the UK average.
Professor White’s research also highlighted that the links between deprivation and cancer mortality rates in Scotland are significant. When combining all cancers, he found that in the most deprived areas, the incidence of cancer was 40 per cent higher and the mortality rate was 75 per cent higher than the least deprived areas. His solution to changing this dire situation is to improve information to men as to their risks of developing cancer and what they can do to prevent it.
The seminar also highlighted the risk factors associated with the incidence of cancer including awareness of the risks and symptoms, uptake of available screening and the health related behaviours of individuals. By working in partnership with a range of agencies MHFS hopes to raise awareness of the small but significant changes that men can do to improve the quality of their health and lives including the risk of developing or dying from cancer.
Mark Ward, national co-ordinator of the Men’s Health Forum Scotland said:
“Men’s health in Scotland does not compare favourably with men in the UK as a whole, or with men in Europe. It is important that men in Scotland realise that there is help available and awareness weeks, such as this, are an important tool in doing so. The Men’s Health Forum Scotland is committed to making services more accessible and to encourage men to step forward and seek help not only when they need it the most, but also before problems develop.”
Case Study
Someone who knows all about the importance of education and support in tackling cancer is Tam Hewitt of Sandyhills, Glasgow. Tam is on the road to recovery after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004. He now provides other men with an insight into his own experiences as a volunteer for the Prostate Cancer Charity.
The 59 year old who has been married for 30 years and has one son, took early retirement from his job as a training officer for Glasgow City Council in 2002 due to ill health as he has suffered from ME for 20 years.
Although there was no history of prostate cancer in Tam’s family, he realised that something was wrong when he spotted blood in his urine. Alarm bells started to ring and he immediately made an appointment to see his GP.
After a series of blood tests and biopsies he was told that he had prostate cancer. Tam was given three options in terms of what treatments he could receive and the Prostate Cancer Charity were a tremendous help providing him with a toolkit which highlighted their advantages and disadvantages.
Tam opted to have Brachytherapy. This form of radioactive treatment focuses directly on the tumour, burning it off gradually over the course of a year. This was, in his view, the least intrusive from of treatment and resulted in him being in hospital for only two days.
Tam said: “The signs are now looking good and I have had a tremendous amount of support from my family, but when I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer I went into a complete state of shock. My brother died of lung cancer in 2002 and there is no denying the fact that people all too frequently associate cancer with death and assume the worst when they receive a diagnosis.
“It is so important for people to realise that it is not always the end of the road and there is help and treatment available especially if action is taken immediately. You need to be self motivated to seek help. However when you go for help there is a web of support available and you are never alone”
Tam continues: “I have now been a volunteer with the Prostate Cancer Charity for three years. I decided to give them my support as they were a huge help to me. I now speak to men who are in a similar position to where I was five years ago. This gives me the opportunity to share with them my first hand experiences and to help raise awareness about prostate cancer.
“Although doctors and the medical profession are invaluable, people who have lived through the cancer can also provide a different perspective. I can discuss the treatment that I undertook as well as looking at how cancer impacts your lifestyle.
“I am determined to highlight that being diagnosed is not a death sentence. However it is important that men go to their GP when they first think that there may be something wrong with their health. I hope that my experiences will help others to come out the other end.”
Ends
Issued by the BIG Partnership on behalf of the Men’s Health Forum Scotland
ONS (2009) Cancer incidence and mortality in the United Kingdom and constituent countries, 2004–06
Presentations from the recent seminar on Men and Cancer in Scotland:
www.mhfs.org.uk/mhfs_seminars.php#cancer
Research: The Excess Burden of Cancer in Men in the UK (pdf)
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