BLUE SEPTEMBER NEWS

The Land - Blue September

Last Updated: Thursday 9th of September 2010 at 05:13:33 PM

This month is Blue September a campaign to raise awareness that one in two NSW men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and people are being urged to get on board.

Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer), Frank Sartor, said men in NSW were 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than women. "Each year, more than 7000 NSW men die of cancer and 20,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed," he said. "These are daunting statistics, and lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol and lack of physical activity are driving the increases of some types of cancer in NSW men. "Healthy habits and early detection can play a role in reducing these numbers."

Mr Sartor said initiatives like Blue September were also vitally important in raising community awareness of the disease. In NSW, four cancers accounted for 64 per cent of new cancers in men: prostate (32pc), bowel (13pc), melanoma (10pc), and lung (10pc).

Other cancers that commonly affected men and which were often preventable through lifestyle choices included cancers of the kidney, liver, head, neck, oesophagus and bladder. Mr Sartor encouraged men to be aware of cancer symptoms and speak to their GP if they were concerned.