Men more likely to spot symptoms for breast cancer than for prostate

MOST men know more about the symptoms of breast cancer than prostate cancer, a survey shows.

That is despite prostate cancer being the most common cancer in men – killing more than 11,000 a year in the UK.

Three quarters of men admitted they have limited knowledge of its symptoms, the European Association of Urologists (EAU) reports.

Around 31 per cent of men were better at identifying breast cancer than they were of identifying prostate cancer, at 27 per cent.

The survey of 2,500 people in five countries in Europe, including 500 in the UK, also found men were ignorant about the prostate gland.

In addition to the low awareness of prostate cancer symptoms, just one in four respondents could correctly identify the location of the prostate and surprisingly, a higher proportion of women, 28 per cent, could identify its location than men (only 22 per cent).

About 54 per cent of people wrongly thought that women had a prostate gland.

In further findings the EAU found that only 18 per cent of male respondents across Europe knew that men aged 16 to 44 years have the highest risk of testicular cancer, although in the UK this was 27 per cent. Symptom awareness is recognised as a leading factor in the early diagnosis of urological conditions.

The majority of deaths in male cancers occur because most men do not address their conditions in time and the survey reveals that 43 per cent of people would not go to their doctor straight away if they noticed blood in their urine.

Some 23 per cent would wait longer than a month if they suffered a frequent urge to urinate and 28 per cent would wait for more than a week if they suffered burning or pain during urination.

While only 17 per cent of people surveyed associate pain in their lower abdomen with a serious problem. All are potential prostate cancer symptoms. The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless deaths through better treatment and greater awareness of prostate cancer.

Professor Hein Van Poppel, urologist and EAU member said: ‘The results of our survey clearly demonstrate people are ill-informed when it comes to urological conditions.

‘Men in particular have less knowledge than women and turn a blind eye to symptoms and early diagnosis.

‘Persuading men to take their health seriously presents a serious challenge.

‘They should be encouraged to seek support from a medical professional if they suspect anything unusual.’

Responses also showed that urology has a long way to go to reach general awareness – only 40 per cent of people could say what a urologist does.

Professor of urology and EAU member Manfred Wirth said: ‘It’s time for Europe to change its attitude to urology and invest in educational campaigns to increase urological knowledge and break taboos.’

‘It’s a serious challenge’