Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
Men often Have
Unhealthy Lifestyles
A British report says that the reluctance of men
to adopt healthy lifestyles and to visit their doctor may be causing more males to develop cancer
“Men are almost 40 percent more likely than women to die from cancer.” That’s the conclusion of a report released in Britain in June 2009 by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) and Cancer Research U.K.
Gender-
The study reviewed all the British cancer statistics from the years 2006 and 2007. Overall, researchers found that men are 16 percent more likely to develop cancer than women.
Researchers then excluded breast cancer and cancers such as ovarian and prostate that are specific to one sex from their study. They also left out lung cancer statistics “because the disease and its main risk factor, smoking, is known to be more common in men.”
The cancers that formed the core of the research were: esophagus, stomach, colorectal,
liver, pancreas, malignant melanoma, kidney, bladder, brain and central nervous system,
non-
Cancer Study Results Show Gender Gap
The researchers say 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.”
However, “they found that for all of these cancers combined, men were still 70 percent more likely than women to die from cancer and 60 percent more likely to get cancer.”
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.”
He added that “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.”
Theories about why Males
are more Susceptible to Cancer
BBC News reported on the study (June 2009) in an online posting. The news organization
said “Professor Alan White, chairman of the Men’s Health Forum, said men were generally
less aware that factors such as smoking, 
carrying excess weight around the waist,
having a high alcohol intake, a poor diet, and family history all contributed to
an increased cancer risk.”
Toby Alter
Trouble Brewing
The authors of the study added that, “The explanations as to why men seem to be so much more at risk of so many cancers are complex and still only partially understood.”
Aside from the lifestyle issues whose cancer risks are well known, men are more reluctant than women to seek medical advice.
According to Professor Forman, “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.”
Sources
“The Excess Burden of Cancer in Men in the U.K.” National Cancer Intelligence Network, June 15, 2009.
“Men Warned of Greater Cancer Risk.” BBC News, June 15, 2009.
“Most Men unaware of Breast Cancer Risk.” CTV News, October 1, 2010.
© Canada and the World, October 2010
All rights reserved
TOP CANCER KILLERS AMONG MEN -
Lung: 24% of all cancer deaths
Prostate: 13%
Colorectal: 10%
Oesophagus: 6%
Pancreas: 5%
And, being overweight is thought to be a contributing factor.
Clarita
A study published in the October 2010 issue of the American Journal of Nursing found that 79 percent of men didn't even know that men could develop breast cancer.
According to CTV News (October 1, 2010) breast cancer “is rare in Canadian men, accounting for less than one percent of all breast cancers. It's most commonly diagnosed in men over 60, but can develop in men of all ages.