Male cancer awareness

Cancer of the prostate is the most common cancer in men. The risk of prostate cancer increases with age and is quite rare in men under 50. One in eight men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Prostate cancer can develop slowly, so there might be no sign of symptoms for years. It happens when the prostate has become enlarged enough to affect the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis).

Symptoms may include:

• passing urine more often
• getting up in the night to empty your bladder
• difficulty passing urine
• a sudden strong urge to empty your bladder
• leaking urine after passing urine
• blood in urine or semen
• erection problems

Although it is important to remember that non-cancerous prostate enlargement is also a very common cause of the symptoms listed above, it is important to book an appointment with your GP as soon as you notice any symptoms.

For further information on prostate cancer please click here.

Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is a relatively rare cancer, with approximately 2200 new cases diagnosed in the UK each year. Around 47 per cent of men diagnosed with this disease will be under the age of 35. If caught at an early stage, men can expect a high cure rate with 98 per cent of men disease free at one year. If caught at any stage 96 per cent of men will be alive 10 years after treatment.

It is vital to perform a self-check each month. This page on the Orchid charity website provides information on how to do this.

It is important to remember that cancers found early are the most easily and successfully treated.

Common symptoms of testicular cancer include:

• a lump or swelling in part of one testicle – cancerous lumps can be any size, as small as a pea or much larger
• testicular cancer is not usually painful, but some men report feeling a sharp pain in the scrotum as a first symptom
• the scrotum may feel heavy

If you do find anything out of the ordinary, please book an appointment to see your GP as soon as possible.