50 percent of British men admit they would delay going to the doctor if they developed warning signs of cancer.
A survey* specially commissioned to launch Cancer Research UK's Man Alive campaign today (Tuesday) reveals that a considerable proportion of the male population could be compromising their health because of a reluctance to visit GP surgeries.
Only 52 per cent of men questioned for the poll said they would immediately seek medical help if they found traces of blood in their stool. This is one of the commonest symptoms of bowel cancer, a disease that affects 19,000 UK men each year.
Younger men were most likely to cite embarrassment as a reason to delay getting their symptoms checked, whereas those in the 45+ age group were concerned about what the doctor might find as the result of an examination. Lack of time was a factor across all groups.
The findings are particularly concerning given that cancer now kills more men in the UK than any other condition, including heart disease.
A third of men polled could recall a time when their female partners had convinced them to make a doctor's appointment when they did not really want to.
Cancer Research UK's Man Alive campaign aims to promote greater awareness of the symptoms of cancers that affect men, including lung, bowel, prostate and testicular cancer.
Campaign supporter and football legend Denis Law, who recently underwent successful treatment for prostate cancer, says the survey's findings confirm his own experience.
Law, one of the stars of Sir Matt Busby's all-conquering Manchester United side in the 1960s, waited three months to seek medical help after experiencing problems with his 'waterworks'.
When he eventually did seek help – after some encouragement from his wife Di – he underwent tests, including a biopsy.
He recalls: "I remember being called in to see my urologist for the results of the biopsy. As soon as he mentioned the word 'cancer', I went numb.
"Later on, I felt shocked and isolated. Months earlier, I hadn't even known I was ill. Looking back, I should have seen my doctor earlier but I think men are like that; we don't like to face up to things. I've always been fit and I guess I just put my problems down to getting older. I buried my head in the sand."
The 63-year-old Scot, who scored more than 200 goals for Manchester United and won 55 international caps, underwent surgery.
"Fortunately the cancer was diagnosed in time for me to have the widest choice of treatment options available. But I was told that if I had further delayed seeking help surgery may not have been an option and the outcome may have been entirely different," says Law, who now receives regular check-ups.
Cancer Research UK runs a cancer information helpline, staffed by specialist nurses. The majority of calls to the service are from women, despite the fact that cancer affects similar numbers of men and women.