Think 'person' sometimes, not just 'man' or 'woman'

Only 11% of  women who died from cancer in 2007 died of ‘women only’ cancers. (If you think breast should be in with the gynaecological cancers it shouldn't, as men get breast cancer too.)

 

In the same year, 16% of men who died from cancer died as a result of cancers that were specific to men. That’s 84% of cancer mortality where you can’t attract men’s attention with the flag of ‘men only’ cancer.

 

Gynaecological cancers killed 7,379 women but gastrointestinal cancers killed 10,284. This is where gender specific campaigns come adrift.  Women brought up to fear the femaleness of their bodies through the profile of breast cancer will naturally feel as if 'women only' cancers are the greatest danger to women. GI cancers don't feel female and don't tend to be talked about together. The gynae ones will be, increasingly. 

 

The truth is one's gender sometimes feels a bigger issue rather than because it is one.   

 

Here’s a similar odd one. Are men aware that breast cancer killed almost twice as many men as testicular cancer did, in 2007? The deaths are in double figures, rather than four, so not many men die of either but it is still an odd fact. Are women aware that breast cancer kills any men at all?

 

Testicular cancer is a rare cancer – it is the fifteenth most common cancer in men, behind bladder, oesophagus and  non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for example, a random sample of the ones much higher up the ‘frequency’ scale for men. But because testicles resonates with men and the media it is more of a story. Like breast cancer is for women.

 

When did you ever hear of bladder, oesophagus or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma discussed at all in the media, let alone as a problem for men? Or women?

 

The big losers in this public profile and understanding of cancer are men and women at risk of, and with, all the non gender related cancers, especially bowel or lung cancers. They simply don’t have the profile in the media and amongst the public that breast and prostate do. Breast, prostate, lung and bowel cancers make up the top 50% of cancer cases and deaths in both genders.

 

The concentration on gender specific cancers disadvantages most men and most women, whilst the intention is to do the exact opposite. Too many men and women translate gender specific cancers into the only ones they have to think about.