What is the number one cause of death among women?   If the color pink is pervading your thought process along with ribbons, you are not alone.  The very successful campaign that has been waged against Breast Cancer has it front and center in our minds.  The fact is that heart disease is the leading cause of death among both women and men.  Perhaps you knew this, but would you believe that breast cancer, according to the latest numbers available (2005) from the Center for Disease Control, is down at number 7 among the leading cause of death among women?!

Meanwhile, if we were to look at a breakdown of causes of death among men, we would see a similar scenario with prostate cancer replacing breast cancer near the bottom of the top ten causes.  The estimated number of cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in 2008, according to the American Cancer Society, was 186, 320, slightly above the cases of breast cancer: 184, 450.  Since these two types of cancer are fairly even in their numbers affected, and one relates distinctly to women while the other is a men’s issue, why does the focus seem to be so much more on breast cancer?

To answer this, we first should look at the cancer that far and away is the most diagnosed and fatal: lung cancer.  At an estimated 161, 840  deaths in 2008, lung cancer claimed more than three times the number of lives than any other single cancer.  The reason we never hear much about this is that lung cancer is mostly preventable.  Smoking is the number one contributor to it, along with air pollution.  Thus, we see it as the result of lifestyle choices, which does not generate much sympathy and does not garner a lot of attention for it as a result.

Breast cancer on the other hand…need I say anything?  As it attacks what physically is distinctly women’s most definable part, it is not hard to see why the cause has garnered such a following.  What man among us has not donated either money or time to fund raising for breast cancer, either out of respect for the cause or at the request of family or friends?

Why prostate cancer does not receive the attention it should.

Prostate cancer is not so blessed with as glamorous an image as breast cancer.  How many of us for that matter even understand in entirety the function of the prostate?    I have to admit that while I knew its function in the reproductive tract, until I looked it up I did not know all the specifics.  I will leave it to you to explore more as we don’t need to go in depth or cause anybody to blush.  We are probably most familiar with the prostate as a problem in older men, when this donut shaped organ (fund raising ideas, anyone?) enlarges and causes urination problems.  While the prostate enjoys a degree of ambiguity, which is one cause of the issue not receiving the attention it should, problems and corrective actions can cause urinary and sexual dysfunction as well as death;  All subjects that should grab our attention.

Another  reason prostate cancer does not receive as much publicity is due to its non-aggressive nature.  It is one of the slowest growing cancers.  While it is the second most diagnosed cancer behind lung cancer, it is down at number five among most cancer fatalities in 2008 at 28, 660.  Still very significant, but with many men living for years with it, it does not seem nearly as sinister as many other cancers.

Prostate cancer currently lacks clear motives for dealing with it.

This brings up and leads into the point of this whole article.  The reason so many men live for years with prostate cancer is because it is so poorly understood!  Testing for it and catching it early is difficult.  In fact, a quote from the American Cancer Society’s website on early detection sums it up best:  “At this time, there are insufficient data to recommend for or against prostate cancer testing in men…”  Treatments at present can cause the aforementioned urinary and sexual side effects.  It is for these reasons and due to its slow growing nature that it is even being recommended in older men who have been diagnosed that nothing be done.

What we are looking at basically is a disease that needs a lot of study in order to better understand it and hopefully bring it better under control.  So is it receiving that?  Yes, there are a lot of studies and funding going towards prostate cancer, but breast cancer for years has been receiving more than twice as much for research, and it has been paying off.  A statement from The American Cancer Society:  “Death rates from breast cancer have steadily decreased in women since 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50 (a decrease of 3.3% per year) than in those 50 and older (2.0% per year).  The decrease in breast cancer death rates represents progress in both earlier detection and improved treatment.” I think we can logically conclude this is a result of breakthroughs brought on by research.

As can be seen, the number spent on breast cancer when compared to any other type is staggering.  While valid points have been raised as to why prostate doesn’t receive the attention that breast cancer does, we as men need to bite the bullet and put the bulk of the blame on where it mostly belongs:  squarely on us.

The main reason so much more money goes into researching Breast Cancer than Prostate Cancer.

Women are simply far more active than us in advocating for the issue.  They are donating money, they are arranging fund raisers, they are talking about the issue and they are marketing it.  Women have made the color pink ubiquitous with breast cancer.  Through ribbons, shirts, hats, commercials, organizations, we see the issue on television and on vehicle bumpers.  As a whole, women need to be deeply commended for the attention and resulting advances they have brought as a result to their cause.

In the meantime, when have you received an email from a fellow man organizing a Relay for Life cancer event?  Our apathy is ours solely to own.  While our prostate isn’t as marketable as the breast, 1 in 6 of us will get prostate cancer in our lifetime.  Moreover in the 31-40 age group, 1 in 12 of us will suffer from an enlarged prostate and 1 in 2 of us in the 51-60 group.  Shouldn’t we be motivated to raise money for research to better understand something that will most likely affect us at some point and something that is one of the top ten causes of fatalities in men?  Let’s start the ball rolling by visiting: www.prostatecancerfoundation.org where you can find out more information and DONATE!  Also, why not organize an event so we can begin to spearhead this issue together.