Men's Health - Awareness of Prostate Cancer

A recent MORI survey shows that men know more about breast cancer than they do about prostate and testicular cancer.

Just over a third in each case each (34%) still know nothing about testicular cancer or prostate cancer. However this has declined from 44% and 47% respectively, since 1995.

In the most recent study, ninety per cent knew nothing about the PSA test for prostate cancer. Fifteen per cent said they would be certain to have a PSA test, and 12% that they would definitely have surgery, if they were diagnosed as positive (the possible side effects of surgery being impotence and incontinence).

If tested positive, however, as many as 64% of men said they would have surgery and suffer incontinence if it increased their life expectancy by up to ten years, and 67% would be prepared to suffer impotence in the same circumstances.

Technical details

MORI interviewed 986 men aged 15+ throughout Great Britain, face-to-face, in-home, between 3-6 April 1998. Data were weighted to known population profile.