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Men are almost 40% more likely than women to die from cancer, reveals a report
published today (Monday) by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN)
and Cancer Research UK together with the Men's Health Forum to mark Men's Health
Week.
And they are 16% more likely to develop the disease in the first place.
After excluding breast cancer and cancers specific to one or other sex from
the analysis, the difference is even greater – with men being almost 70%
more likely to die from cancer and over 60% more likely to develop the disease.
The researchers then looked at the figures, excluding lung cancer as well,
because the disease and its main risk factor, smoking, is known to be more common
in men.
They expected to see that, across the broad range of remaining cancer types,
men and women were just as likely as each other to die from and get the disease.
But they found that for all of these cancers combined, men were still 70% more
likely than women to die from cancer and 60% more likely to get cancer.
Experts suggest that a possible explanation for the differences seen for some
types of cancer could be down to stereotypical male behaviour – like down
playing important early symptoms and having an unhealthy lifestyle.
Professor David Forman, information lead for the NCIN, said:
"For many of the types of cancer we looked at that affect both
sexes, there's no known biological reason why men should be at a greater risk
than women, so we were surprised to see such consistent differences.
After taking out the effect of age, men were significantly more likely
than women to die from every one of the specific types of cancer considered
and, apart from melanoma, they were also significantly more likely to develop
the disease.
Men have a reputation for having a 'stiff upper lip' and not being as
health-conscious as women.
What we see from this report could be a reflection of this attitude,
meaning men are less likely to make lifestyle changes that could reduce their
risk of the disease and less likely to go to their doctor with cancer symptoms.
Late diagnosis makes most forms of the disease harder to treat."
The report looked at the number of cancer deaths in the UK in 2007 and the
number of new cases of cancer in 2006, broken down by cancer type.
The cancers that were not sex-specific were grouped together and the researchers
then looked at the ratio of men to women in each category.
Professor Alan White, Professor of Men's Health at Leeds Metropolitan University
and Chair of the Men's Health Forum, said:
"The evidence shows that men are generally not aware that, as well
as smoking, carrying excess weight around the waist, having a high alcohol
intake and a poor diet and their family history all contribute to their increased
risk of developing and dying prematurely from cancer, but more research needs
to be done before we can be sure exactly why this gender gap exists.
This report clearly demonstrates that a concerted effort needs to be
made into getting the public, the health professionals and the policy makers
aware of the risks men are facing. Many of these deaths could be avoided by
changes in lifestyle and earlier diagnosis."
Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said:
"We know that around half of all cancers could be prevented by changes
to lifestyle and it's worrying that this message could be falling on deaf
ears for men.
Importantly, for many cancers, the disease is more likely to be treated
successfully if caught early. Delays in reporting symptoms to a doctor could
be helping to fuel this gender gap in cancer mortality.
Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health are key players in the
National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI), part of which aims
to understand the reasons why people put off telling their GP about cancer
symptoms and how to overcome them.
This report tells us that NAEDI could make a real difference to understanding
why cancer outcomes for men are so different."
Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director said:
"As part of NAEDI, the Department and the Football Foundation are
joint funding an 'Ahead of the Game' programme to promote
early presentation. This one-year pilot programme, will use the appeal of
football to raise awareness of lung, bowel and prostate cancers in men aged
55 and over, and selected football clubs across the country will receive funding
to target local men over 55 and raise cancer awareness.
Recently the Department of Health and the NHS Cancer Screening Programme
agreed to provide funding for the Bobby Moore Fund 'There's Moore to Know'
campaign on bowel cancer.
Through these new approaches we hope to raise awareness about the signs
and symptoms of cancer, and encourage men with symptoms to seek help earlier."
Cancer Research UK
Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is
to beat cancer.
*
Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve
understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat
different kinds
of cancer.
* Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives
of all cancer patients.
* Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is
being made and the choices each person can make.
* Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest
impact in the global fight against cancer.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how
to support the charity, please call 020 7009 8820 or visit their website (link
at bottom of this page).
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health
issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed
in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in
this news item was released by Cancer Research UK on 15
June 2009 and may have been edited (e.g. in style,
length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion
here. For further information, please visit their website.
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