Male Cancer Awareness Week

The health insurance industry has concerns at the moment about how it will fund cancer cover in the future. The aim is that health education and early detection will help to reduce the need for health insurance for cancer. This week is Male Cancer Awareness Week. Every year Orchid, the mail cancer charity use this week to raise awareness about cancers that are specific to men: testicular, penile and prostrate.

Orchid is the only UK charity which focuses only on male cancers. It was formed by a testicular cancer patient in 1997 with the aim of helping to save lives by raising awareness, giving support and advice as well as funding cancer research.

Every year 37,400 men are diagnosed with a male specific cancer:

• 35,000 with prostrate cancer
• 2,000 with testicular cancer
• 400 with penile cancer

Some of the things that Orchid have done this week include:

• A survey into the awareness of hereditary prostrate cancer has so far found that 53% of people are unaware that there is a hereditary link to prostrate cancer. They have also developed a factsheet and awareness poster in conjunction with the survey.
• A Prostate Cancer Q&A session for patients and their families was held on the 14 April at Bart’s Hospital.
• They have launched a fundraising campaign called ‘37,000 steps to beat male cancer.' The innivotive campaign encourages people to organise events based around the number 37,000. For example, bake 37 cakes, run for 37 minutes, stay silent for 37 hours.
• A 3.7km run took place on Wednesday 14 April at 5.30pm along the river starting at Paternoster Square