This morning marked the end of Movember. A month to grow a moustache to "change the face of male health". I grew a moustache, it was lame. I will have to wait a few more years for the hair follicles to increase in number. But I stuck to it. Sadly I didn't try to raise any money (due to time constraints) but I did tell everybody what I could about prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for males. The chances of getting it increase with age: 1 in about 10,000 at 39 but goes up to 1 in 7 by 70. The way they screen for prostate cancer is by a blood sample to test for high levels of Prostate-specific antigen (PSA - what an imaginative name) which 75% of men with cancer will have but 70% of people with high PSA don't have the cancer. So if you have a high level PSA you have a rectal ultrasound and if needed a prostate biopsy.
Basically if you don't get tested you will never know. Men have evolved to believe that they are invincible (which is why men are brave in battle) so why would they ever need to get tested?
But since looking into prostate cancer it seems that there are still loads of questions unanswered with much more research needed compared to say female breast cancer which gets much more attention, ergo more money leading to more research. So I feel quite bad that I didn't try to raise money rather than just awareness, but that will have to be for next year.
Read more on the Movember website
