While cancer of the prostate is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men, the survey finds that when it comes to prostate cancer, there is a significant and alarming gap between the facts about prostate cancer and what men believe, according to a new national survey, “Mind Over Manhood: The Misconceptions of Prostate Cancer,” conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Janssen Biotech Inc.
For example, the survey shows that most of the men surveyed (63 percent) believe that they won’t be diagnosed with prostate cancer, when in reality, an estimated 241,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2012. Additionally, while the disease will claim the lives of an estimated 28,000 men in the U.S. this year, more than half of the men surveyed (52 percent) believe that if they are diagnosed, the disease will not be fatal.
Incidence
One in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, yet despite these statistics, many men believe they won’t be diagnosed, and if they are, that the disease won’t be fatal.
- Nearly two thirds of men (63 percent) think it is unlikely they will ever be diagnosed with prostate cancer
- More than half of men (52 percent) believe it is unlikely they would die from prostate cancer if diagnosed
Causes and Risk Factors
With early diagnosis and treatment, the survival rate is high, and awareness of the risk factors plays a key role in detection.
- 100 percent of men surveyed incorrectly identified or failed to identify at least one risk factor, and nearly one in five (17 percent) failed to identify any as symptoms of prostate cancer
- 98 percent answered incorrectly when asked to identify what was true versus what was false about prostate cancer
Healthy diets and exercise aren’t just important for looking and feeling good; both can affect one’s risk of the disease.
- More than 80 percent of the men surveyed didn’t realize that physical activity impacts risk
- Only 33 percent of the men surveyed were aware that high fat diets have been linked to greater chances of developing prostate cancer
It’s in the genes! Family history and race can impact one’s risk of prostate cancer.
- More than 70 percent of the men surveyed did not know that certain ethnicities and races are at greater risk
- Almost half (43 percent) failed to identify family history as a risk factor
- Nearly half of African-American men (44 percent) say it is very unlikely that they will ever be diagnosed, compared to 30 percent of all men.
