This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/magazine/8154200.stm
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Why are men reluctant to seek medical help? | Why are men reluctant to seek medical help? |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| When doctors first examined former footballer John Hartson last week, he was already in the advanced stages of testicular cancer, which had spread to his brain and lungs. Why do men commonly get medical help later than women? | When doctors first examined former footballer John Hartson last week, he was already in the advanced stages of testicular cancer, which had spread to his brain and lungs. Why do men commonly get medical help later than women? |
| John Hartson went into Swansea's Singleton Hospital a week ago and doctors quickly established that he had testicular cancer which had spread to other parts of his body. Within days he'd had emergency brain surgery. | John Hartson went into Swansea's Singleton Hospital a week ago and doctors quickly established that he had testicular cancer which had spread to other parts of his body. Within days he'd had emergency brain surgery. |
| Hartson remains in a critical condition | Hartson remains in a critical condition |
| It's not clear whether the former Celtic and West Ham hero had ignored warning signs - sometimes testicular cancer has no symptoms. | It's not clear whether the former Celtic and West Ham hero had ignored warning signs - sometimes testicular cancer has no symptoms. |
| Cycling legend Lance Armstrong, who has sent Hartson his best wishes, admitted he delayed going to a doctor for months before he was given a similar diagnosis in 1996. | Cycling legend Lance Armstrong, who has sent Hartson his best wishes, admitted he delayed going to a doctor for months before he was given a similar diagnosis in 1996. |
| A survey last month for the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign suggested that nearly twice as many men as women had not visited their GP in the past year. | |
| Evidence suggests fewer men go to dentists or ask the pharmacist for advice and information, or attend contraception clinics, although men are more likely to end up in hospital because they delay for so long. | Evidence suggests fewer men go to dentists or ask the pharmacist for advice and information, or attend contraception clinics, although men are more likely to end up in hospital because they delay for so long. |
| Even male cancer helplines are used more by women, speaking on behalf of partners, fathers or sons. And the fact that more women get skin cancer than men but more men die from it, indicates how late men are going to doctors. | Even male cancer helplines are used more by women, speaking on behalf of partners, fathers or sons. And the fact that more women get skin cancer than men but more men die from it, indicates how late men are going to doctors. |
| Men are slowly getting better at it, says Mike Shallcross, associate editor of Men's Health magazine, but the contrast is made between men's attitude to testicular lumps and women checking their breasts for potential tumours. | Men are slowly getting better at it, says Mike Shallcross, associate editor of Men's Health magazine, but the contrast is made between men's attitude to testicular lumps and women checking their breasts for potential tumours. |
| Martin Carter waited nine months to check his swollen testicle | Martin Carter waited nine months to check his swollen testicle |
| 'I thought it was something sexual, something I'd caught, and that made it even harder to talk about it. | 'I thought it was something sexual, something I'd caught, and that made it even harder to talk about it. |
| 'Also, I didn't know where to start. I was young and had hardly been to my doctor and when I had it was with a parent. That lack of experience meant I didn't know where to start when it came to seeing my GP. | 'Also, I didn't know where to start. I was young and had hardly been to my doctor and when I had it was with a parent. That lack of experience meant I didn't know where to start when it came to seeing my GP. |
| 'When I finally got help I felt ashamed that I had left it so long. It would have saved myself and my family so much worry and pain. | 'When I finally got help I felt ashamed that I had left it so long. It would have saved myself and my family so much worry and pain. |
| 'My family were really upset and felt so guilty that I had felt as if I couldn't talk to them.' | 'My family were really upset and felt so guilty that I had felt as if I couldn't talk to them.' |
| "There's that fear when you find a lump on your testicle of thinking 'If I go to the doctor he'll just lop it off', which is the standard treatment, but you can get by perfectly with the one. But in the vast majority of cases, it's not cancer at all and you've done the right thing and got a weight off your mind." | "There's that fear when you find a lump on your testicle of thinking 'If I go to the doctor he'll just lop it off', which is the standard treatment, but you can get by perfectly with the one. But in the vast majority of cases, it's not cancer at all and you've done the right thing and got a weight off your mind." |
| This kind of comparison can be misleading, however, because women need to be more vigilant, he says, Breast cancer is much more common, with about 45,000 new cases a year compared with 2,000 new cases of testicular cancer, which makes up only 1-2% of male cancers and has a very high survival rate. | This kind of comparison can be misleading, however, because women need to be more vigilant, he says, Breast cancer is much more common, with about 45,000 new cases a year compared with 2,000 new cases of testicular cancer, which makes up only 1-2% of male cancers and has a very high survival rate. |
| "Men could learn from women about attitudes to health. I would characterise it as the way they treat their cars. Women drive very carefully and make sure they take it into the garage at the right time but men just put their foot down until it's knackered." | "Men could learn from women about attitudes to health. I would characterise it as the way they treat their cars. Women drive very carefully and make sure they take it into the garage at the right time but men just put their foot down until it's knackered." |
| Embarrassment and inexperience were the reason Martin Carter, 37, waited nine months to get his testicle checked after it became swollen and hard. | Embarrassment and inexperience were the reason Martin Carter, 37, waited nine months to get his testicle checked after it became swollen and hard. |
| He finally got it seen when it swelled to four times its normal size and he had severe back pain and was losing weight. By then the cancer had spread to his lungs and abdomen and was pushing against his spine. | He finally got it seen when it swelled to four times its normal size and he had severe back pain and was losing weight. By then the cancer had spread to his lungs and abdomen and was pushing against his spine. |
| "I was only 20 and quite shy," he says. "Even though I was close to my family and friends, I just felt too embarrassed to tell anyone. I felt awkward. | "I was only 20 and quite shy," he says. "Even though I was close to my family and friends, I just felt too embarrassed to tell anyone. I felt awkward. |
| MOST COMMON MALE CANCERS 1: Prostate - 24%2: Lung - 15%3: Colorectal - 14%4: Bladder - 5%5: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - 4% And... Testicular - 1-2% (below top 10) Source: Cancer Research UK | MOST COMMON MALE CANCERS 1: Prostate - 24%2: Lung - 15%3: Colorectal - 14%4: Bladder - 5%5: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - 4% And... Testicular - 1-2% (below top 10) Source: Cancer Research UK |
| "I thought it was something sexual, something I'd caught, and that made it even harder to talk about it. Back then testicular cancer wasn't so well known, there were no awareness campaigns like now. | "I thought it was something sexual, something I'd caught, and that made it even harder to talk about it. Back then testicular cancer wasn't so well known, there were no awareness campaigns like now. |
| "Also, I didn't know where to start. I was young and had hardly been to my doctor and when I had been, it was with a parent. That lack of experience meant I didn't know where to start when it came to seeing my GP." | "Also, I didn't know where to start. I was young and had hardly been to my doctor and when I had been, it was with a parent. That lack of experience meant I didn't know where to start when it came to seeing my GP." |
| Gender divide | Gender divide |
| He had his testicle removed, along with the tumours in his lungs and abdomen, and underwent chemotherapy. The treatment was successful but 14 years later, in 2006, his remaining testicle showed signs of cancer. | He had his testicle removed, along with the tumours in his lungs and abdomen, and underwent chemotherapy. The treatment was successful but 14 years later, in 2006, his remaining testicle showed signs of cancer. |
| He got it checked straight away and was told the cancer had returned. But because he acted immediately it hadn't spread anywhere else and he only needed to have the testicle removed. | He got it checked straight away and was told the cancer had returned. But because he acted immediately it hadn't spread anywhere else and he only needed to have the testicle removed. |
| Martin's experience underlines the cultural reasons behind the gender divide in the self-diagnosis of cancer, says Professor Colin Cooper, head of the Everyman Centre, Europe's first research centre dedicated to male cancer. | Martin's experience underlines the cultural reasons behind the gender divide in the self-diagnosis of cancer, says Professor Colin Cooper, head of the Everyman Centre, Europe's first research centre dedicated to male cancer. |
| FAMOUS MEN WITH CANCER Robert De Niro (above) - prostateFormer US state secretary Colin Powell - prostateComedian Bob Monkhouse - prostate (died in 2003 and appeared posthumously in a TV cancer campaign)Footballer Alan Stubbs - testicularLance Armstrong - testicular Hartson condition still critical | FAMOUS MEN WITH CANCER Robert De Niro (above) - prostateFormer US state secretary Colin Powell - prostateComedian Bob Monkhouse - prostate (died in 2003 and appeared posthumously in a TV cancer campaign)Footballer Alan Stubbs - testicularLance Armstrong - testicular Hartson condition still critical |
| "Historically women have always been the custodians of health in the family," he says. "They have cervical screening and breast screening and they take the kids to the GP. But men don't do any of that and tend to be much more reluctant to go when they have symptoms." | "Historically women have always been the custodians of health in the family," he says. "They have cervical screening and breast screening and they take the kids to the GP. But men don't do any of that and tend to be much more reluctant to go when they have symptoms." |
| Cancer survival rates in the UK are among the lowest in Europe because the British - both sexes - are for some reason less inclined to go to a doctor and cancer is diagnosed late, he says. | Cancer survival rates in the UK are among the lowest in Europe because the British - both sexes - are for some reason less inclined to go to a doctor and cancer is diagnosed late, he says. |
| Celebrity Jade Goody, who died earlier this year after cervical cancer spread, ignored a letter saying a cervical smear test had indicated abnormalities. But generally women are better than men at acting. | Celebrity Jade Goody, who died earlier this year after cervical cancer spread, ignored a letter saying a cervical smear test had indicated abnormalities. But generally women are better than men at acting. |
| "Men tend not to talk about health," says Prof Cooper. "Eight years ago we did a survey which found that men like to talk about sport, women, cars. Even politics is more popular than health issues. It has slightly opened up since but there's still a problem." | "Men tend not to talk about health," says Prof Cooper. "Eight years ago we did a survey which found that men like to talk about sport, women, cars. Even politics is more popular than health issues. It has slightly opened up since but there's still a problem." |
| That's why men are going to doctors with very advanced cancer, he says, and John Hartson's survival prospects, although still quite good at about 60:40, would have been 99:1 had he been diagnosed earlier. | That's why men are going to doctors with very advanced cancer, he says, and John Hartson's survival prospects, although still quite good at about 60:40, would have been 99:1 had he been diagnosed earlier. |
| Taking risks and thinking nothing bad will happen is even seen as part and parcel of being a man Peter BakerMen's Health Forum | Taking risks and thinking nothing bad will happen is even seen as part and parcel of being a man Peter BakerMen's Health Forum |
| Men have a reluctance to ask for help or admit they have a problem about anything, says Peter Baker of Men's Health Forum, but basing primary health care around office opening hours hardly helps men who are in full-time work. | Men have a reluctance to ask for help or admit they have a problem about anything, says Peter Baker of Men's Health Forum, but basing primary health care around office opening hours hardly helps men who are in full-time work. |
| However, testicular cancer is not the major issue facing men because it's rare and the clear-up rate is high. | However, testicular cancer is not the major issue facing men because it's rare and the clear-up rate is high. |
| "Campaigns have worked because doctors are seeing testicular tumours at an earlier stage. If I was to pick one issue above all others, I would say obesity and we should do much more about alerting men to the dangers of being overweight." | "Campaigns have worked because doctors are seeing testicular tumours at an earlier stage. If I was to pick one issue above all others, I would say obesity and we should do much more about alerting men to the dangers of being overweight." |
| Men are generally in poorer health, he says, with a worse diet. They are more likely to smoke and be alcoholics. They do more physical activity but the majority don't do enough to make any difference to their health. | Men are generally in poorer health, he says, with a worse diet. They are more likely to smoke and be alcoholics. They do more physical activity but the majority don't do enough to make any difference to their health. |
| "Taking risks and thinking nothing bad will happen is even seen as part and parcel of being a man," he says. | "Taking risks and thinking nothing bad will happen is even seen as part and parcel of being a man," he says. |
| Health education should equip men with an understanding of what taking these risks means and how it affects their health, but it needs to be done in a humorous way to have any impact. | Health education should equip men with an understanding of what taking these risks means and how it affects their health, but it needs to be done in a humorous way to have any impact. |
| This should entail going to the workplace, the pub, the sports venues, and using humour to break down barriers, says Mr Baker. | This should entail going to the workplace, the pub, the sports venues, and using humour to break down barriers, says Mr Baker. |
| A recent successful campaign was based on a Haynes car repair manual, with a man's body illustrated as a car engine. | A recent successful campaign was based on a Haynes car repair manual, with a man's body illustrated as a car engine. |
| Additional reporting by Denise Winterman | Additional reporting by Denise Winterman |
| Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |