CWU Supports National Male Cancers Awareness Campaign

The Union’s first letter to branches of 2013 has been issued by the Health and Safety Department, and it could not have covered a more important subject than cancer awareness campaigns.

Concern has been growing amongst cancer charities and male health groups for some time, that men are simply not taking their health needs seriously and that far less public money is being spent on male cancer awareness campaigns, than on the same campaigns regarding female cancers.

In letter to CWU branches (LTB001/13), Dave Joyce, the Union's Health, Safety and Environmental Officer provides information and details of the campaign:

Leading charity Cancer Research UK has launched a major nationwide campaign on Men's Cancer designed to raise awareness of increasing risks, to reinforce the message that spotting Cancer early saves lives and to highlight that it is only through research that cancer will be beaten. The research enables medical experts to understand biology of cancer, what drives cancer and how it can be prevented as well as developing new treatments to reduce the number of people who will die from it.

The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department is backing the Campaign and urging Branches and in particular Health and Safety Representatives to organise local campaigns aimed at:-

* Raising awareness amongst the male population of the Cancer risk factors,
* Informing Men what can be done to reduce the risk,
* Highlighting the early signs for Men to look out for, 
* Urging Men to go to their GP if they have concerns to seek early diagnosis in order to improve treatment options and survival and finally the Campaign calls for more research into the disease in order to beat Cancer.

In launching the Campaign, which includes a major TV advertising initiative, Cancer Research UK released new figures which revealed that Cancer risk among Men is increasing and that one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer by 2027, in other words half of all men are likely to have been diagnosed with cancer in 15 years' time.  The figures showing that diagnosis of men with the disease is increasing - more are also surviving.

The charity used Boxing Day to launch the TV campaign, highlighting how research can save lives and featuring stories from Cancer survivors.

UK men have a 16% higher risk of cancer than women.

The new figures suggest that by 2027, 50 men out of every 100 are likely to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. That compares to 44 out of
every 100 in 2010.

The letter to branches goes into further details of the various cancers affecting men, statistical evidence; as well as places to get information and support.

The full LTB001/13 can be downloaded here

Source: CWU

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