Taking place earlier this month (13-19 June), Men’s Health Week is an annual campaign which aims to increase awareness of preventable health problems in men of all ages. Dr Katie Buzacott, General Pathologist at Pathology Queensland, explains why it is important for all men to be pro-active with their own health and wellbeing.

“A lot of men are reluctant to discuss their health or may not go to their GP as much as they should. Even my husband – despite being married to a doctor – will only see his GP under extreme duress or threats of divorce! Missed health checks can create fatal consequences, therefore it’s important to have these done regularly, especially for mental and heart health, amongst others.

“During the last couple of years in particular, a lot of people avoided attending GPs and hospitals for fear of catching COVID-19. However, given we know how effective mask wearing is in reducing the risk, now is the perfect time for people to put their health first, visit their GP and start being proactive about their health.”

Heart disease affects men disproportionally more than women, but there are some easy calculations that a GP can do to work out an individual’s risk factors. A simple blood test can check cholesterol or inflammatory markers, and based on that, lifestyle modifications or medications can be recommended which can greatly reduce the risk of a heart attack. Likewise, more men are affected by bowel cancer than women, but easy tools such as the national bowel cancer screening test are available which can help to enable early detection. Lung cancer is also more common and lifestyle changes (such as quitting smoking) and early detection are vital.

“Testicular cancer is the most common cancer of young men (from 15 to 35 years old) but can occur at any age. Unfortunately, teenage boys and young men often believe they are immortal and ignore the warning signs. They also may be embarrassed to talk about their genitals to their parents or doctors, but they should know it’s nothing we haven’t seen before!

“Teenagers should be encouraged to regularly examine their testes, and see their GP about any lumps, bumps or pain. Not only can this pick up cancers early (and easily treated with a simple procedure), it can help preserve future fertility from non-cancer issues, such as torsion (when the testis twists and cuts off the blood supply). The GP may request a blood test which can look for certain markers in the blood which may be elevated in cancer, or an ultrasound which is quick, cheap and pain free.

“As a general pathologist with subspecialty interest in uropathology, I diagnose new cases of prostate cancer every day. While this disease is increasingly common with advancing age, we still see occasional cases in younger men in their 40s and even 30s. Some of these are also genetically linked, so it is important to talk to family members about health matters and get checked if there’s a family history. Like most cancers, early detection is vital for successful treatment, so those with a family history or any change in urinary symptoms should go to their GP.

“Luckily there are easy tests that can be carried out by a GP to help screen for cancer. Based on a simple examination, they may refer for a urology specialist who will take a thorough history and may arrange for a biopsy – but again this is a simple procedure done under anaesthetic so is relatively painless. Even if cancer is found, there are many treatment options available; men are often worried about becoming impotent or incontinent but there have been huge advances in this field so that is often avoided,” said Dr Buzacott.