BLOKES are notoriously bad at looking after their health and talking about their problems.
Many often turn a blind eye to obvious issues that stop them from getting that all important early diagnosis.
There are three specific cancers which exclusively affect men, these include: penile, prostate and testicular
Just this week, ex football player Steve Daley, encouraged men to get checked for prostate cancer after his own battle with the disease.
“Men think they’re invincible and I thought I was invincible until the doctor said to me: ‘There’s cancer there’,” the former midfielder for Wolverhampton Wanderers FC told the BBC.
“Blokes could be here walking round with it. I’d say get tested – if they catch it early, you’re sorted.
“If it’s not that early, you’ll get treated and it might lengthen your life,” he said.
There are three specific cancers which exclusively affect men, these include: penile, prostate and testicular.
But what are these cancers and what are the symptoms we should all be looking out for?
1. Penile cancer
Penile cancer is a rare cancer in the UK, with only 700 new cases reported in the UK each year.
It can develop anywhere on the penis but is most common under the foreskin in men who haven’t been circumcised, or on the head of the penis.
Symptoms of penile cancer
- A growth or sore on your penis
- Bleeding from your penis
- A foul smelling discharge
- A rash on your penis
- Difficulty in drawing back your foreskin (phimosis)
- A change in the colour of your penis or foreskin
2. Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, affecting around one in every eight men at some point in their life.
Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland.
The prostate gland is found at the base of the bladder and is about the size of a walnut.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
The cancer does not usually cause symptoms in the early stages but if it has spread to other parts of the body it can cause some symptoms which include:
- back or bone pain that doesn’t go away with rest
- tiredness
- weight loss for no reason
3. Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer, that occurs in the testicles.
The uncommon male disease accounting for just one per cent of all cancers that occur in British men.
According to Cancer Research UK nearly all men who develop the disease and get treatment survive.
Symptoms of testicular cancer
- a lump or swelling in part of one testicle
- a testicle that gets bigger
- a heavy scrotum
- discomfort or pain in your testicle or scrotum
This month, BBC Breakfast star Bill Turnbull sadly died aged 66 after a heartbreaking battle with prostate cancer.
Before his death, the former presenter said that he missed some early warning signs which led to his terminal diagnosis in 2017.
He made the news public in 2018 – sharing it had spread to his legs, hips, pelvis and ribs.
