Don’t fear the prostate exam

CANCER EDUCATION NEEDED

Prostate cancer in men is nearly as common as breast cancer in women, but a new survey shows that most Canadian men don’t understand the risks and avoid being tested for the disease.

The findings were released yesterday by the Prostate Research Foundation of Canada, in sync with Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.

The research found that 41% of men 45 years or older perceive the risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer as high or somewhat high. Slightly more than half of men between 45 and 59 years old have ever discussed prostate cancer and care of their prostate with their doctor.

All this, despite the fact that one in seven men will be diagnosed with the cancer in their lifetime.

This year, 20,500 Canadian men will learn they have prostate cancer and 4,300 will die from the disease. Those figures are comparable to the more commonly known breast cancer, which will be diagnosed in 21,600 women and 5,300 will die this year in Canada.

The research highlights the acute need to educate men about the risks of developing the disease, which has a remarkable high cure rate — 95% — if detected early.

A third of the men surveyed, or 37%, agreed with the statement “I don’t like to think about ‘ below the belt’ health issues and particularly my prostate.”

And yet, 94% of men appeared to know that early detection can result in less invasive and more effective treatment.

“ Men can be very stubborn and they’re not really willing to take active control of their healthcare,” said foundation spokesman Greg Sarney. The research also showed that it’s women who are the drivers of healthcare in most households, he said.

The likelihood of developing prostate cancer increases with age, but symptoms — pain in the lower back or pelvic area and a sudden inability to pass urine are associated with the disease — don’t usually appear until the cancer is too far gone. That’s why the foundation recommends men start getting tested at age 45.

The foundation is hoping research findings, coupled with the public awareness week, will help to get more men talking about prostate cancer.

A new public education initiative called “Don’t Get Scared. Get Tested.” will involve television commercials and posters showing a picture of a man burying his head in the sand, like an ostrich.

The telephone survey, conducted in May, involved a random sample of 500 men over the age of 45 from across the country. The results are considered accurate 19 times out of 20, and have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.55%.

For more information about the disease, log on to www.prostatecancer.ca