When was the last time you saw a doctor? Well, if you’re a guy 50 or over, it’s probably been a while. And do you know the signs of cancer? There’s a pretty good chance you don’t. According to a recent survey of 12,000 men, nearly half wouldn’t recognize the red flags. There’s little doubt that this kind of ignorance—along with refusing to see a doctor even when there’s an obvious problem—contributes to the fact that men are more likely than women to die of cancer. Here are some of the other rather dismal findings:
- Only 59% of men know the signs of prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men. To be fair, prostate cancer often doesn’t produce any symptoms, but you should be concerned if you have trouble urinating (weak flow, having to go often, having pain), blood in the urine, pain in the lower back, thighs, or hips. More than 80% of women know the symptoms of breast cancer.
- 55% of men (compared to nearly 75% of women) say they can identify the symptoms of bowel cancer.
- 37% of men (compared to 51% of women) would recognize the symptoms of lung cancer).
- Just over half of men (and over 70% of women) know the symptoms of skin cancer.
- 49% of men (vs. 64% of women) would recognize the symptoms of dementia.
- A quarter of men wouldn’t visit a doctor even if they were in severe pain.
- 66% of men (compared to 50% of women) don’t eat as many servings of fruits and veggies as they’re supposed to (five/day).
