Men’s Health and the Risks of Cancer
Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men’s health, lung cancer is the most lethal.
Men: Use This Checklist to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
- Stay away from tobacco.
- Stay at a healthy weight.
- Get moving with regular physical activity.
- Limit your alcohol intake or don’t drink at all.
- Protect your skin.
- Know yourself, your family history and your risks.
- Have regular check-ups and cancer screening tests.
Anyone who spends time in the sun can develop skin cancer. Avoid the mid-day sun and wear hats with brims, long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses, and use sunscreen with SPF of 30 of higher on all exposed parts of the skin.
Cancer Risks as We Age
With most cancers, age is the biggest risk – the older we are, the higher our risk becomes.
Beginning at 45, men should have a colonoscopy as a screening for colon cancer, earlier if they have a family history.
At age 50, men should talk to their physician about the pros and cons of testing for prostate cancer; this includes a PSA (blood test) and a digital rectal exam.
Women, please encourage the men in your life to follow the recommendations for health screenings.
Men’s Health Risks of Smoking
Smoking is the cause of more than 80 percent of all lung cancers so talk to your physician about getting help to quit.
If you don’t smoke don’t start! Try to avoid breathing in other people’s smoke.
CHI Health offers a variety of ways to help quit smoking.
- Tobacco Cessation course at CHI Health Lakeside
- St. Francis Cancer Treatment Center offers a tobacco cessation class.
- Tobacco cessation resources at CHI Health Good Samaritan
Learn how to make a plan to quit smoking today!
Jenny Roush, BSE is the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Cancer Treatment Center at CHI Health St. Francis.
