FATHERS AND SONS ENCOURAGED TO MAKE EACH OTHER AWARE OF THE FACTS ABOUT MALE CANCER
Friday 2 March 2007
The Everyman Male Cancer Campaign, The FA and The PFA are calling upon fathers and sons to make each other aware of the facts about prostate and testicular cancer as a new survey conducted by Everyman has revealed that only 19% of men in the UK choose to regularly talk to their father about health matters and a staggering 98% would confide in someone else first.
In conjunction with the ‘Keep Your Eye on the Ball’ awareness fortnight, which launches on Sunday 4th March and aims to make the football community more aware of the signs and symptoms of male cancers, the campaign is calling upon footie fans and players to take notice of more than just the balls on the pitch.
The survey results also revealed that of the 49% of men questioned who said they were aware of the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer, only 8% of these said a parent or other relative made them aware. The majority (around 65%) admitted to being made aware as a result of health campaigns.
With testicular cancer affecting younger men aged usually in the 15 – 45 age bracket and prostate cancer affecting older men over the age of 50, male cancers can affect men at all stages of their lives. Also, men with a brother or father who have developed prostate or testicular cancer have an increased risk of developing the disease themselves.
"Having a father, brother or son who has had testicular cancer increases the risk of getting the disease. If you have a brother with testicular cancer your risk is almost 10 times that of a man without a family history of the disease. This increased risk is higher than for most other types which very rarely exceed four times. With prostate cancer, men with a brother or father who developed the disease at a young age also have an increased risk.” commented Dr Elizabeth Rapley, a testicular cancer specialist at The Institute of Cancer Research, “But its not just men within these families that need to be aware, its all men and giving them the information they need and want to raise awareness to themselves and the men around them is important.”
With this in mind, The FA, The PFA and Everyman have produced a new set of leaflets, posters and adverts for football Clubs and Associations to use to get the message out to men.
Simone Pound from The PFA commented, “The survey demonstrates that by working together we can increase awareness around health issues in particular male cancers. If caught early enough testicular cancer is curable which is why we want players and supporters to check themselves for irregular lumps. Fathers and sons enjoy watching and playing football together – by taking care of each other’s health they can also help to save lives.”
“Many fathers and sons share a common interest in football and Keep Your Eye on the Ball is all about using the power of football to make more men of all ages aware of the vital facts about male cancer.” commented Phil Smith, Head of Public Affairs at The FA, “The survey results show health campaigns like Keep Your Eye on the Ball are doing a lot to raise awareness, which is great news, but there is still more we need to be doing to encourage men to find out the facts.”
Campaign ambassador and England Team Senior Goal Keeping Coach Ray Clemence, who has suffered from prostate cancer, commented "The footballing community is not immune to the threat of male cancers, which is why it is important that men know the facts about testicular and prostate cancer."
Keep Your Eye on The Ball was set-up over five years ago in response to low awareness levels and after several high profile players including Jason Cundy, Alan Stubbs and Neil Harris were diagnosed with testicular cancer. Each year an awareness fortnight is held (which is running from 4th – 18th March) where Clubs and Associations are encouraged to help raise awareness to fans by displaying posters, information leaflets and adverts in match-day programmes. Over 70 league Clubs and Associations are participating in the campaign this year including Arsenal, Bolton, Tottenham and Manchester United.
In the time it takes to play one 90 minute game of football, more than one man in the UK will have died of prostate cancer and it has now overtaken lung cancer to become the UK’s most common cancer diagnosed in men.
Testicular cancer affects around 2,000 men a year in the UK. Thanks to advances made at The Everyman Centre - Europe’s first and only research centre dedicated to male cancer and part of The Institute of Cancer Research - testicular cancer is 99% curable if caught early enough. That’s why it is important to make men aware of the signs and symptoms to look out for as early diagnosis can save lives.
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For interviews with FA, PFA or Everyman spokespeople or to speak to a player who has suffered from testicular cancer please contact:
Charlotte Muskett at the Everyman Campaign
T: 020 7153 5312
Notes to editors:
Accompanying pictures of campaign supporters David James, Ashley Cole, Sam Allardyce, Gary Lewin and Ray Clemence are available upon request.
Footballers who have suffered testicular cancer include Jason Cundy (ex Chelsea, Tottenham and Ipswich and TalkSport presenter), Alan Stubbs (Everton), Neil Harris (Millwall), Chris Plummer (ex Peterborough) and Adam Tann (Leyton Orient).
The survey of 150 men was conducted on the Everyman website from 1st Feb – 19th Feb 2007.
About Keep Your Eye on the Ball
- The PFA and The FA set up the ‘Keep your Eye on the Ball’ campaign with The Institute of Cancer Research’s Everyman campaign to ensure that all footballers and their supporters are aware of the symptoms of male cancer. This campaign was in direct response to the discovery that players Neil Harris, Alan Stubbs and Jason Cundy all had testicular cancer.
- For more information about the signs and symptoms of testicular and prostate cancer visit www.keepyoureyeontheball.org or call 0800 731 9468
Leaflet
Check Your Balls poster
David James poster
Jason Cundy poster
Self Check poster
Goal poster
Testicular Cancer Fact Sheet
Prostate Cancer Fact Sheet