Men 'ignoring' prostate cancer
Updated on 19 March 2007
More men are worried about their pensions than about becoming impotent or getting prostate cancer, according to a new poll.
In a survey of 1,000 men on behalf of the the Prostate Cancer Charity, almost a third (32%) said their pension was a concern as they got older.
Prostate cancer was a worry for 13%, 7% worried about their weight, 4% about baldness and 2% about impotence.
More than a fifth (22%) said they were not worried about any of those things or did not know.
The charity's chief executive, John Neate, said: "We certainly don't want men to panic about getting prostate cancer as they get older, but we do want far more men to be aware of the risks of this disease and their health in general.
"So many people still don't know that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK and that it claims the lives of 10,000 men every year. Although awareness of the disease is slowly growing, there are far too many men who don't realise that this is an important issue for them."
The risk of prostate cancer increases with age and among those with a close family member affected by the disease. Men from an African/Caribbean background are also at higher risk.
Mr Neate said: "Although it is not possible to self-examine for prostate cancer and there is no national screening programme for the disease, a healthy diet can play a role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer."
The poll also found that only 13% knew the prostate gland was important for sexual function.
More than a third (40%) thought it was important for opening and closing the bladder, 10% thought it was for making urine, 8% thought it was for storing it and 29% of men did not know.
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