Health: Better early than too late

It’s time for Malaysian men to take a more proactive stance in dealing with their health issues, and the National Cancer Society Malaysia has embarked on a campaign to promote a greater awareness of men’s cancers, writes MEERA MURUGESAN.
WOMEN will talk and share facts about themselves, while men rarely do. Where our health is concerned, it is the sharing, talking and asking of questions that often makes a significant difference that leads to saving lives.
Men, in general, are not proactive when it comes to their health issues, says Dr Saunthari Somasundaram, executive director of the National Cancer Society Malaysia.
“Unlike women, they rarely, if ever, speak up about health issues or share them with other men for better awareness,” she says.
This lax attitude towards personal health is something the National Cancer Society of Malaysia is hoping to change with its latest campaign to create awareness on male cancers. Launched on July 6, the campaign aims to counsel and educate men about cancers that may affect them.
Says Dr Saunthari: “Most Malaysian men are reluctant to go for cancer screening procedures which focus on looking for the cancer before it happens, or trying to find it early. Men here usually wait for something to go wrong before they head to the doctor, and the cancer is eventually detected this way. The problem with taking this approach is that often, the cancers are detected at very late stages.
“Men are more likely to say ‘I’ll wait another day’ when it comes to seeing the doctor, even when they feel something is wrong.”
Women, on the other hand, are not only concerned about their own health but also that of their family, and the wives and mothers are usually the ones constantly pushing men to go for a check-up.
Unlike men, women also have more advocacy groups dealing with their health issues and they are more willing to talk about their health concerns to other women or come out and say “I have cancer,” says Dr Saunthari.
The strict definition of men’s cancers only includes those which are exclusive to men like prostrate, testicular and penile cancer. In Malaysia, however, the main or more common cancers affecting Malaysian men are cancer of the lung, colorectal cancer and nasopharyngeal or nose cancer.
Currently, based on 2003 figures from the National Cancer Registry, there are about 10,000 Malaysian men with cancer in the country.
This figure could be just the tip of the iceberg, cautions Dr Saunthari, as it only covers Peninsular Malaysia. Furthermore, many men, especially those in rural areas, may not be seeking medical help for their condition but turning to alternative therapies instead, and these men will not show up in the registry’s figures.
In 2003, when the Cancer Registry was first started, there were 26,000 noted cases of cancer among Malaysians in general, she adds, but the actual figure was thought to be more than 40,000.
“When we analyse the top 10 cancers among men in this country, the one glaring lifestyle risk that stands out is tobacco and smoking,” says Dr Saunthari.
Nine out of the 10 top cancers can be linked to tobacco use and a look at the statistics of tobacco usage among men explains why.
Says Dr Saunthari: “A whopping 50 per cent of Malaysian men smoke, a figure that is higher than in similar developing nations.”
Tobacco usage is the largest single-risk factor and cause of male cancers in Malaysia, she stresses, and being the most preventable cause of cancer, we must understand the importance of not smoking or allowing ourselves to be exposed to second-hand smoke.
Unlike other cancers, there is no early screening method for detecting lung cancer, and because our lungs have great capacity, most people don’t realise they have cancer until they are already in the third or fourth stage of the disease.
The same applies to colorectal cancer; since everything is very much internal, it is usually only detected at a late stage.
“Breast cancer makes up 30 per cent of women’s cancers, but at least it is more easily detectable. Nevertheless, men’s cancers can also be overcome with awareness that leads to being more proactive when dealing with health matters,” she adds.
“We need to change our perception of cancer, and this is especially true for men, who tend to be more apathetic. Cancer can be prevented or cured if found early and treated promptly. So be proactive, learn about cancer and change our lifestyle habits accordingly.”
In line with the campaign to create awareness on male cancers, all Topman stores will be selling a special wristband at a minimum price of RM10 to the public, until the end of the month. All proceeds from the sale of the wristbands, which come in four colours, will be channelled to the National Cancer Society Malaysia.
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