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This week sees the launch of the Stand By Your Man campaign, aiming to highlight and increase awareness of Prostate Cancer, and is asking people to pledge to talk to the men in their lives about how prostate cancer can be identified. The figures below are from prostatecanceruk.org:
Across the UK
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
- Every hour one man dies from prostate cancer – that’s more than 10,000 every year.
- Over 40,000* men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year – that’s more than 100* men diagnosed every day.
- It’s estimated that by 2030, prostate cancer will be the most common cancer.
- One in eight men will get prostate cancer.
- Over a quarter of a million* men are living with and after prostate cancer.
- Two out of three adults don’t know what the prostate gland does.
In Scotland
- Nearly 3,000* men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in Scotland.
- More than 700* men die every year from prostate cancer in Scotland.
- Every day two men die from prostate cancer in Scotland.
In England
- Over 34,000* men are diagnosed every year in England.
- More than 8,000* men die every year from prostate cancer in England.
- Every hour one man dies from prostate cancer in England.
In Wales
- Over 2,000* men are diagnosed every year in Wales.
- Over 500* men die every year from prostate cancer in Wales.
In Northern Ireland
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Over 900* men are diagnosed every year in Northern Ireland.
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More than 200* men die every year from prostate cancer in Northern Ireland.
According to prostatecanceruk.org, breast cancer receives twice as much research funding as prostate cancer, despite both diseases killing similar numbers of people, the average spend per breast cancer case is £853, compared to the £417 per prostate cancer case. In January this year, the Sledgehammer campaign was launched, fronted by Bill Bailey, in a Telegraph article written at the time, Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Men in the UK have a problem and they don’t want to talk about it. Neither do the wives and partners who will end up supporting them, the doctors who will treat them, nor the politicians who will count on their vote. Prostate cancer is the UK’s best kept worst secret.
“Prostate cancer is simply not on the radar in the UK. Even though it kills one man every hour, that’s 10,000 men each year, most men and women don’t know enough about it. We need to follow the lead of the successful female movement against breast cancer and create a real change for men.”
Recent research on prostate cancer will help to identify which patients have high-risk prostate cancer, meaning disease that is likely to progress and should be treated, and could lead to targeted therapies. The researchers looked at the DNA of over 25,000 patients with prostate cancer and the same number of men without the disease. They were able to identify 23 new genes associated with prostate cancer, and discovered that 16 of these are linked to aggressive prostate cancer. This information will be used not only to identify patients at risk but also to develop new drugs that can target specific genetic changes in these patients. Research is still ongoing in these areas and the genetics of men with a family history of prostate cancer are also being investigated.
The Stand By Your Man campaign has also made a short Father’s Day film to raise awareness of a disease that is underfunded and poorly understood – you can view the film by clicking here.
You can sign the pledge here – http://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/fathers-day/stand-by-your-man-pledge