Movember Men’s Cancer Awareness Month 14th November 2022 – Posted in: Uncategorised – Tags: cancer, cancer prevention, movember
Every year, the month of November reminds us, through the ‘Movember’ campaign, of the importance of male cancer prevention. Thanks to this event, many men have the opportunity to learn about the importance of preventive examinations in their case.
What preventive examinations should a man do to avoid cancer?
- Testicular self-examination – once a year
- Blood morphology
- Checking the prostate with a per rectum examination – once a year
PSA level determination
What symptoms should worry us?
Of course, we should not wait to have a check-up until we start to notice worrying symptoms in ourselves. However, below we list some of the possible signs that indicate prostate disease:
Problems with urination
- Frequent urination especially at night
- Problem emptying the bladder completely
- Pain when passing urine
- Blood in the urine
- Pain in the back, hips or pelvis
Why are preventive screenings so important?
Many diseases can be spotted in their early stages. This allows us to quickly introduce pharmacotherapy or decide on the necessary treatment. Unfortunately, most of the symptoms we notice already appear late in the course of a disease. If prostate cancer is detected fairly quickly, we have a better chance of survival than if the cancer spreads rapidly to other organs. It is also worth considering your family history. When one of your relatives has developed cancer, the possibility of contracting the disease should be taken into special consideration.
History of the Movember campaign
The Movember campaign got its start back in the 1990s, when a group of young men living in South Australia decided to grow a moustache for charity for a whole month. Later, thanks to this event, the name Mo – from moustache, English for moustache -vember – from November, English for November – was invented. The next high-profile edition of this event took place in 2005, when a group of friends renewed the idea of growing a moustache. After publicising the action the following year, $40,000 had already been raised for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. The campaign adopted the moustache symbol as its trademark and to this day every year reminds us of the importance of preventive screenings.
OK, but where can I get tested?
During the month of November, Movember volunteers appear in various towns and cities to teach you about preventive self-examinations. The examinations themselves can be carried out at any diagnostic laboratory or by a urologist.