Don’t run away from cancer – run to fight it

To coincide with World Cancer Day, South African men are being urged to man up and have themselves educated about testicular and prostate cancer. The two cancers are curable with early detection, but embarrassment or a head-in-the-sand attitude is allowing these common cancers to cause unnecessary deaths. Black men have the highest chance of contracting prostate cancer, with a frighteningly high-risk rate of up to one in four, while white men have a lower but still scary risk rate of 10 percent. Yet the disease can be detected easily by a simple Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test, and any man over 40 should get checked regularly, says Gerda Strauss, the head of service delivery at the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA). Testicular cancer affects white men more often than black men and can even hit boys as young as 15. The most common cancer signs and symptoms in the testicles and scrotum include lumps, swelling and pain. In South Africa it’s one of the most common cancers for men between the ages of 15 and 49. The good news is that it’s very easily detected by checking the testicles for abnormal lumps - but too few men ever think to make that a regular part of their bathroom routine, Strauss says. World Cancer Day comes just a few weeks before the annual Daredevil Run, where hundreds of men wearing nothing but takkies and purple Speedos will jog through Johannesburg to focus attention on these vulnerable parts of the male anatomy. The Daredevil Run was launched by Hollard Insurance as part of its social responsibility initiatives to help people live healthier, happier lives. Initially only a few men dared to pound the streets in their Speedos, but the event has grown and thousands of men now join this fun event every year to spread the serious message that silence isn’t golden where cancer is concerned. This year will be the tenth run, and it will take place on Friday, March 13. Strauss is encouraging every Joburg male over the age of 15 to sign up and join the run, and to become aware of their own role in combatting these diseases. Instead of running away from cancer, they can man up and run in a campaign to fight it, she says. Any participant over 40 can have a free PSA blood test for prostate cancer when they collect their entry pack, or on the day itself. Last year over 300 of the 3,970 runners took the test, and 12 were referred for a follow up. That could mean that 12 lives were saved, and their families spared from the agony of needlessly losing a husband, a father, a brother or a son, Strauss says. The Daredevil Run not only raises awareness of the diseases, it also raises money to fund ongoing male cancer testing. Eighty percent of the proceeds from the entrance fees will go to CANSA for testing, counselling, and educating men in mostly underprivileged communities, while the other 20% goes to the Prostate Cancer Foundation to support awareness programmes.