This issue about prostate cancer being a bigger killer than breast cancer

[StealthPolarBear]

It's a breast cancer success story, right?
I know prostate cancer is a huge issue but why has this good news story been hijacked and reported as a huge problem?

[lovemylover]

My partner has just been diagnosed with it, and its no fun, also having to have hormone treatment and radiotherapy, losing the testosterone , and suffering the same as women with hot flushes, depression etc, loss of libido,
Most men can live with it but not always
Why shouldnt they get as much publicity as women with breast cancer, the more spoken about it the better

[gussyfinknottle]

My Dad died of prostate cancer. 20 years ago. Breaks my bloody heart to hear that anyone has it.

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

"Jesus christ. Must everything become a women’s issue?"

I agree, this topic its really distasteful. I have done fuck all personally to support BC, the charity I support supports all cancers.

[4Funnels]

Where's the hijacking?

Oh, I get it! You're a patriarchal-conspiracy theorist waiting for replies like "no one cares about us poor women" etc.

[hackmum]

This really shouldn't be seen in terms of a male/female opposition.

Treatment of breast cancer has been so successful because it is easier to find a way of treating it. Surgery can remove the cancer entirely and if you then zap the breast with radiotherapy and chemotherapy there's a very good chance of recovery. You also have a screening programme that makes it easier to find the cancer at an earlier stage.

Lots of other cancers have a much worse prognosis, for various reasons. Ovarian, lung and pancreatic cancer, for example, all have a poor prognosis because symptoms don't become obvious till they're far advanced. And then you can't just surgically remove a lung or the pancreas in the way you can remove a breast.

Brain tumours can be very hard to treat for obvious reasons.

You can have screening for prostate cancer, but it's problematic because a lot of prostate cancers are so slow growing that you end up treating people needlessly - there's a saying that many people die "with" prostate cancer rather than "of it".

And, yes, relatively speaking, prostate cancer is a disease of old age. You hear of women in their 30s or 40s developing cancer reasonably often, but rarely hear of a man developing prostate cancer at that age.

With all these things, decisions have to be made about the best approach. About 90% of lung cancers are caused by smoking. Is it better to spend money on stopping people from smoking, or on finding ways to treat lung cancer?

[lovemylover]

dahliaaa thank you, its just a matter of fingers x now, it has taken months to even find it, his lymph node was mentioned, but he cant remember what was said about it, just will have to wait and see
We have only known each other about 18 months and were having a happy life together,even though we dont live together

[dahliaaa]

I hope the appointment in March goes really well. If the cancer hasn't spread there are lots of good treatment options.

[lovemylover]

My partner has just got the results of his tests, he has definitely got prostate cancer, but as yet doesnt know what stage its at yetthe March the 5th date is to discuss what happens next,re treatment etc
He has already had bowel cancer and had chemo for that,about 10 years ago,just hoping and praying it is curable
He is 70

[lovemylover]

Thank you, yes we hope so too of course,but i dont know why it has been going on so long, except the MRI didnt show up anything definite on the perineum, just a shadow, could be something could be nothing
Nothing else been said about the lymph nodes
Even had a bone scan, which showed nothing
Cant praise our Hospital enough, for keeping on the ball
Poor man has spent most of last year having tests and needles ,and drips, catheters ,etc, he was initially taken in with a prostate infection in May, where they discovered an enlarged prostate, then he got sepsis,and carried on from there, first biopsy showed nothing
I think they were going on his PSA but that is not always reliable

[dahliaaa]

I hope the results are ok love.

[lovemylover]

My partner has been having tests since June. Syillmo definite results. Hr has every test going including MRI scans. 2 biopsies.and now has had another as there is s dark shadow on the perineum. Our hospital has been brilliant and very thorough. Also lymph nodes have been mentioned. He gets results on March the 5th.just hoping its good news but they seem convinced there is something not Right.

[dahliaaa]

I realise this is an old thread but I've only just seen it.

I should declare that I've got a personal interest in both breast cancer and prostate cancer. My DM had BC in her 40's and both my sister and I have had numerous lumps checked.

My DH has advanced PC which was diagnosed out of the blue when it had already spread to his bones and lymph nodes. It is being controlled at the moment but it is incurable and our DC's will lose their wonderful dad too early. He had none of the symptoms you would associate with PC and like with many younger men who get it - it is very aggressive.

If PC is caught early the cure rate is extremely high but there are still far too many men being diagnosed too late. The PSA test has its limitations but combined with a biopsy it is still the most effective diagnostic tool available at the moment.

Awareness amongst GPS is low and the prostate charities are desperately trying to play catch up in terms of research and profile. It is too often dismissed as 'an old man disease' or a cancer 'where something else will get you first' or 'the best one to get. In my DH's case (and many other men) this is simply not the case.

Clearly I am completely biased but I'm glad that PC got some press and attention over the last few weeks. Mor e men will have got checked and given themselves the opportunity to be treated before it's too late.

[Want2bSupermum]

This isn't an old thread at all. It's a very current problem.

[StealthPolarBear]

Not at all, as far as I'm concerned it's still current

[TheGoalIsToStayOutOfTheHole]

OK sorry, I didn't realise this thread was old. Was linked elsewhere and I didn't think before posting.

[TheGoalIsToStayOutOfTheHole]

The message from this should have been: 'Wow - the efforts that women have made to fund BC research have made an enormous difference in survival rates. So much so in fact, that BC rates are now lower than PC rates! This is a phenomenal result and really demonstrates the power of people getting behind a campaign and the difference that additional funding can make. If men could get behind PC in the same way, I expect to see a similar impact'.

Couldn't agree more.

The issue here is certainly the media reporting. Its being pitted as men V women. Women don't do enough fundraising for men, but they fundraise for breast cancer (which actually men can get too..) which is bias against men. Its so childish. If all of the people kicking off about this actually donated or fundraised themselves, there would be a absolutely huge rise in funding for prostate cancer. But no, they are only moaning as its a chance to have a go at women, again. Everything is womens fault, women are so selfish, women hate men etc etc

[Bloodybridget]

It doesn't matter if people haven't heard about the national screening programme for bowel cancer, because everyone gets sent a testing kit regularly from the age of 60. It's not as though you have to sign up for it or go to your GP. We should, however, be aware of warning signs.

[Want2bSupermum]

My father has prostate cancer and it's been a grueling 18 months. He hid from us that he had a problem getting treatment and eventually broke down because he was in a lot of pain. It took three years from my father going to his GP until his first cancer treatment. He was shuttled between consultants trying to not treat him saying he had two life ending illnesses.

He came to visit and I took him to our local teaching hospital to see a specialist. The appointment was $150. The doctor was floored that my father didn't have PSA levels checked from 45 years of age. The biopsy was a single needle not template biopsy which takes a cross section. He actually had my father screened for Bowl cancer while visiting because he was so shocked my father hadn't had a check despite going for wellmen checks.

What took the NHS 5 years takes America, Canada and Denmark 12-18 months. It is of no surprise they have better outcomes. Even the hormone treatment given in the UK is outdated. The doctor here in America laughed and said they stopped prescribing it in the late 70s. The consultant in the UK was very good but had no access to give proton therapy and the radioactive seeds implanted had to be fought for. My father now has a very weak pelvis from the radiotherapy and very limited mobility because his feet are totally messed up from the outdated hormone tablets that they dispensed.

This could have been a non-event. What was explained to us here in the US was that they would have implanted seeds and given a 24 month cycle of hormone tablets when it was first established what his issues was back in 2012. While taking hormone tablets he would have had physical therapy at least 3x a week to make sure he was still somewhat active.

[worridmum]

My husband had breast cancer (yes men can get it too) and people thought he was a disgrace because he was in a breast cancer specialist hospital/clinic (they assumed he was a trans-woman) because he has to go for screenings every year in case it comes back.

There is hardly any advice / awareness for most male cancers as in they are not told / shown how to test for weird lumps in testicles or the prostate unlike for woman were their is tons of adivce on exactly how to check / tons of screening letters (females get invited for screenings men have to opt in to get screenings).

Cancer should not be a Men Vs Woman debate I do wish cancer funding was spread more evenly between the different cancers (breast cancer research has a disaprotatly high amount of funding compared to other forms and not jsut gender specfics ones i mean all types).

While i am not saying we should cut funding for breast cancer i just wish brain/lung/ panciatic cancer etc all had similear levels of research done or puportonal funding or bloody governments actully funding the research rather then being primarily donation based (but thats a whole different topic)

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

But what else have we come to expect from the daily mail

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

Once again its not the charities at fault at all but the media reporting

As in this daily mail headline

[Penfold007]

I have three close family members, all are male. One has bowel cancer, one prostate cancer and the other breast cancer. I'm not sure its a feminist issue but I'm willing to be educated.

[ChaosNeverRains]

the reality though is that a lot of cancer sufferers will talk about their own cancer vs other cancers because if their cancer has greater risks then they will have more reason to believe that research should be differently focussed.

So, I know that I’ve mentioned brain tumours on here, the amount of funding that goes into brain tumour research is just 2% of overall funding, yet a far higher percentage of brain tumours are terminal because of where they are, and if not terminal the impacts are far greater ie. disability, epilepsy etc and a tumour doesn’t even have to be malignant for that to be the case.

[DrDreReturns]

There isn't a screening programme for prostrate cancer because there isn't an effective test yet. The PSA test isn't accurate enough, as I understand it.
I wish all references to breast cancer were left out of the reporting of this story. It's a spurious comparison.
I've had a prostrate exam. It's not pleasant but I'd do it again if necessary, including as part of a screening programme.

[StealthPolarBear]

I'd like to die in my sleep at the age of 110 having walked to the shops and back the day before to bake s cake for my ds's 83rd birthday :o