Less attention to one’s health and poor adherence to oncological screening are some of the reasons for the higher incidence of tumors in men compared to women. In Italy, it is affected approximately one man in two over the course of life. According to international statistics, the incidence of cancer in men is, in fact, highest of approximately the 19%.
Father’s Day is an opportunity to launch an appeal for prevention, therefore the adoption of healthy lifestyles, which as everyone knows by now means not drinking, not smoking, not being sedentary but being physically active, maintaining a healthy body weight within the norm and pay attention to your diet. But also undergo checks and screening programs offered free of charge by the National Health Service. This is the appeal that comes from the Airc Foundation which also disseminates good prevention practices age by age.
Tumors in humans
In 2023, approximately 208,000 new cancer diagnoses were estimated in Italy in the male population, 3 thousand more than the previous year. The most diagnosed cancers among men are breast cancer prostate (about 41,100 new cases, almost 20% of all diagnoses), al lung (about 30,000), al colorectal (approximately 26,8000), at bladder (about 23,700), allo stomach (about 9,000), al liver (about 8,130), the non-Hodgkin lymphoma (about 8,100), of rene (about 7,900), of upper aerodigestive tracts (about 7,050) and of skin with melanoma (about 7000). The improvement of diagnostic-therapeutic-assistance practices and the progress made in the fight against smoking have, in fact, recorded, in the period between 2007 and 2019, a decrease in the mortality rate for cancer among men by approximately 14.4%. The reduction translated into approximately 206 thousand fewer deaths than expected based on the average rates for the period 2003-2006.
Alarm bells
What to do? Age by age
Airc Foundation summarizes what to do as we age.
0-49 years: the incidence of tumors is low. It is important to build virtuous habits: do not start smoking or give up smoking, maintain a healthy weight by exercising regularly, follow a diet rich in whole grains, fruit, vegetables and legumes, and limit or, better yet, avoid alcohol consumption. Furthermore, vaccination against the HPV papilloma virus is recommended for adolescents.
50-69 years: the incidence of tumors increases significantly. It remains essential to have healthy behaviors and habits and to pay attention to any new conditions, such as diabetes. Participation in screening programs for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancers is strongly recommended. For prostate cancer, from 55 years of age and older, checks on the health of the genitourinary system and a discussion with your doctor regarding the pros and cons of PSA testing may be recommended.
Over 70: The majority of cancer diagnoses are concentrated in this age group, especially of the prostate, lung and colorectal. It is necessary to pay attention to the possible appearance of symptoms that may signal the presence of a tumor and maintain healthy behaviors, to be adapted to individual possibilities. Reducing modifiable risk factors as much as possible can reduce the chance of getting sick.
Photo at Austin Walker on Unsplash