A triumphant, red-shirted Bobby Moore, proudly hoisting the World Cup while chaired by his victorious teammates, is English football’s most iconic image.
But the famous 1966 tableau represented more than just a sporting milestone for Moore. Just two years earlier, the West Ham United talisman had been treated for, and beaten, testicular cancer.
Regrettably, it proved only a respite for England’s favourite footballer, who tragically finally succumbed to bowel cancer in 1993 at the age of just 51.
The figures can be frightening. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men in England, counting for one in four of all male cancers, while bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK, resulting in the deaths of around 16,000 people every year.
And yet, NHS research shows that while incidents of bowel and prostate cancer increase with age, awareness is relatively low.
Considering that early diagnosis increases the chances of beating the disease, the fact that men are less likely to visit their doctor than women adds to the risk.
Understandable embarrassment is one factor, allied to the fact that bowel cancer symptoms can be non-specific. According to Cancer Research UK, the presenting features of colon cancer can be weight loss and anaemia due to blood loss.
Rectal and distal colon cancers, on the other hand, usually present themselves as bleeding and/or altered bowel habits. Symptoms can also overlap with less serious, and more common conditions, such as bowel obstruction.
The causes of bowel cancer can vary. A high intake of red and processed meat will increase the chances of developing the disease, while a diet rich in fibre will reduce it.
An inactive lifestyle also increases the risk, with at least 10% of colon cancers in the UK related to overweight or obesity. Research has also shown that people drinking more than 30g/day of alcohol (around four units) have a greater chance of contracting the disease.
But just taking a small dose of aspirin (75 mg/day) can reduce the risk of dying from colon cancer by a massive 39%.
For prostate cancer, the strongest risk factor is age, with a very low risk in men under the age of 50, which then increases. And the disease can often be common among families. Men with immediate relatives – such as a father, son or brother – diagnosed with prostate cancer have an increased risk of being diagnosed themselves, especially if the relative was diagnosed before the age of 60.
West African men and black men from the Caribbean have a higher risk of prostate cancer than white men, while men born in Asia have a lower risk than men born in the UK.
The symptoms can be similar to prostate enlargement, namely frequency and difficulty in urinating, and occasionally blood in the urine. If untreated, bladder obstruction can occur, while men with more advanced disease may experience pain where the cancer has spread, especially in the back.
Meanwhile, testicular cancer in the UK is rising, particularly in Caucasian men and has doubled since the mid-70s.
Whether this is because widespread campaigns to encourage self-examination aren’t working, or contrarily, because many more cases are being treated as a result, isn’t certain. However, the facts are that around 2,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with testicular cancer every year and while it is rare before puberty, it is the most common cancer of men aged 15-44.
Despite this, if there is any good news story in cancer, testicular cancer is the one. Since the introduction of combination chemotherapy in the 1970s, survival rates for testicular cancer have risen every year. The cure rate is now over 95%.
As stated before, with any cancer, the earlier the diagnosis, the greater the chances of survival.
It’s a standing joke among men that we fondle our testicles every day – albeit not for a medical diagnosis. But with the most common symptom being a painless lump or swelling on one of the testicles, men – and their partners – need to take careful notice.
Other warning signals include testicle enlargement, an increase in testicular firmness, pain, an unusual difference between one testicle and the other, an ache in the lower stomach or groin and heaviness in the scrotum.
In advanced disease, symptoms can include chest tenderness, back pain, shortness of breath and coughing up blood.
In short, guys and girls – don’t be shy. And don’t be scared. I know from bitter experience that when you read a set of symptoms in a medical book, or in an article like this, it can feel like you have them all – and your world falls apart.
Remember, these symptoms can all be a result of something completely different, minor and sometimes, maybe, almost laughable, but your GP won’t care if it turns out to be nothing.
I had a cancer scare at the age of just 22. In the end, it was something relatively minor, but here’s the thing. It may not have been.
So. Simply. If you have any doubts at all, visit your GP. And now, I know it’s a cliché, and it’s one I’ve used before, but it’s valid. So here you go: “If one person gets checked out and something is flagged up, and if this piece affects even one person, I class that as job done.”