BBC NEWS DAILY
By Justin Parkinson
Prostate cancer deaths overtake those from breast cancer
The UK's population is ageing, and one of the outcomes of this is that more men are developing prostate cancer. In fact the number of deaths it causes among men has overtaken the number of deaths caused among women by breast cancer. And the latest available figures, from 2015, show that, overall, it killed 11,819 people - almost 400 more than breast cancer. However, the mortality rates for both diseases have fallen.
But Angela Culhane, chief executive of the charity Prostate Cancer UK, says research on prostate cancer gets half the funding of that for breast cancer. At present, there's no single, reliable test for it - the PSA test, biopsies and physical examinations are all used. Gary Pettit, 43, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago, says it's still a "taboo subject".
The biggest cancer killers in the UK remain lung and bowel cancer, with prostate now in third place.
Death from any kind of cancer will affect most of us whatever happens. Smoking when we were kids was such a stupid thing to do. If only we knew how giving it up was going to be so important. Banning smoking might seem like we’re taking away freedom of choice but at the end of the day it could save thousands of lives in doing so. Smoking used to mean walking into a pub, or someone’s house, and being hit by a wall of smoke whether we liked it or not. Who knows what the future will hold?
.
nearly all men get prostate cancer if they live long enough but they nearly always die of something else. The very aggressive ones are bad, though and it would be good to have a good test.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff as usual, terry
Thanks Kylie. I don’t like commenting on cancer, normally. My uncle Pat died of it. He was ok and then he wasn’t. It’s such a brutal way to lose someone you care about.
ReplyDeleteThat's scary stuff. But you're right, we all did things as kids (and some adults) that we didn't realize would be so bad for us...I went without sunscreen for fall too long and had a benign (thankfully) scare with skin cancer in 2003.
ReplyDeleteHiiya Rain, I think we’re all guilty of that to some extent. I still make mistakes but i’m only human.
DeleteI'm surprised to hear that prostate cancer is third in cancers for UK deaths, because, as kylie said, I thought usually men died of something else first, even though it's common among older men. I'll have to take a look for Canadian statistics too.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a smoker and I hate everything about it. I think he is in denial about the risks, and anything I say goes unheeded. I know you're not supposed to nag, but dang it, some days I can't help it.
Hi Jenny, he ought to think about quitting really. So much money for what exactly? It’s a dangerous habit to have. It’s a no-brainer if you want my opinion. He could be dead this time next year. It’s that serious.
DeleteAs far as we've progressed, it saddens me that we've found no cure for cancer. Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteThere’s no cure Ro, but sometimes prevention is all we are left with. We can be more careful with the risks we take.
DeleteI'm wondering why prostate cancer research gets less funding that breast cancer research... Could it be that women are more pro-active at fundraising. I know that my daughter Christine got really pro-active at raising money with a group of her curling girl friends and together they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years since I had cancer and she's still going strong. My other daughter Nicole took part in the 10K women races in Scotland, every year for fund raising also. It's a huge event each year.
ReplyDeleteI quit smoking in 1968, that's 50 years ago. A large package of Belvedere cigarette was 50 cents. then. Money was tight in those days and I had an insight that I was rolling up my money and smoking it away. I had tried to stop so many times before but my craving was just too strong... This realization made me quit cold turkey and I never touched another cigarette since. The craving was gone. Funny how the mind works.
Hugs, Julia
Well done Julia. I don’t think I will smoke again now i’ve read that.
DeleteThanks Terry. My husband had tried to make me quit for quite a while but the more he tried, the more I smoked. It goes to prove that it's a decision we have to make ourselves.
DeleteHugs, Julia
I just wish my wife would quit. She will one day hopefully but it could be too late by then.
DeleteWhen we're young we make a lot of mistakes and hope that they don't catch up with us. Smoking used to socially acceptable and even encouraged. I'm so glad that that' s not the case anymore. I'd love to see it banned completely. What a horrible thing.
ReplyDeleteI’d have to agree with that.it’ll be banned one day. It won’t be a popular decision but some government will make it law.
Delete