On BREAST CANCER vs. PROSTATE CANCER

"Like the victims of breast cancer, there's something I'd like to get off my chest. We all must fight and hopefully, one day, titty cancer will be a distant mammary..."~Eric Cartman "South Park"

Offended? Good. Me too.

I'm probably not breaking any new news here about cancer. It sucks. I realize that there will likely not be anyone reading this who doesn't know someone who has been affected by cancer at some point in his or her life. Off the top of my head... Aunt Mary, Aunt Susan and Jason. Mary went through hell and came out in pretty good shape on the other side. Jason is still going through the hell that is cancer treatment now. Aunt Susan wasn't so lucky.... :-(

When I first read the section on masculism on Wikipedia, I was amazed that cancer was even listed as a masculist concern. I didn't think that it really seemed like a gender discrimination issue. Here's what it said:

Bias in health concerns; for example, more advertisements and awareness for breast cancer than prostate cancer, though both cancers kill approximately the same number of people each year.

I will admit that, at first, I didn't believe it. I mean I certainly am aware of the prevalence of breast cancer awareness activities and fund raising efforts and the total lack of such awareness for prostate cancer. I simply figured that it was because prostate cancer was not nearly as common as breast cancer. I CERTAINLY didn't think that they two affected the same number of people in the United States every year. As it turns out, I was right. According to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) prostate cancer does not affect the same number of men as breast cancer does women... by percentage, it's more.

Prostate cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages so it is much harder to recognize than breast cancer. I actually know how to give myself or someone else a breast self-exam. This could likely have to do with the extensive amount of time I have spent in OB/GYN offices over the last year. I don't think that I would ever even ATTEMPT to give myself or someone else a prostate exam. As a comic, I can tell you that there are probably thousands of hours of material written on getting a prostate exam at the doctor's office. Very few jokes, however, concern breast cancer. Why the double standard? I have a few possible answers.

One of the core beliefs of masculism as I see it is that feminism has worked. One of the great contemporary issues of feminists has been breast cancer research and awareness. Who could blame them? Although this disease is not indemic to women, the "fairer sex" is overwhelmingly more affected than men are. I almost feel that there must have been a moment when feminists were excited to find a disease that affects women almost exclusively. It was a cause that all women could rally behind because every woman is afraid of it. I don't blame them. According to recent statistics, 22% of women last year died from some form of cancer. Take something that dangerous and find a form that affects women almost exclusively... elementary.

I have talked to a few women who have all agreed that the scariest part of breast cancer may be a common treatment. I think we all know what I'm talking about. MASTECTOMY! I'm not sure there's any woman alive that would welcome the thought of loosing one or both breasts. I am reminded of a quote from the movie "Erin Brockovich" where a cancer riddled woman asks if she can still be called a woman if she has lost both breasts and her uterus. It still makes me sad.

At least we can say that most of this country is aware of breast cancer so the movement has certainly worked. Everyone knows what a pink ribbon means. Even Major League Baseball held special events this past Sunday (Mother's Day) promoting breast cancer awareness. Players, coaches and umpires wore pink wristbands and many players used pink bats. I won't dare say that any of these are bad things, but aren't they a little slighted? I mean, there are no female players or coaches in the MLB and yet the whole league has come out in visual support of this cause. Why isn't there a Prostate Cancer Awareness Day? We could have the players use flesh-colored bats... with purple rings on the end. Hehe.

I think another major issue is the examination used to determine prostate problems. While I would never recommend performing a BSE in a crowded bar (and certainly not without the woman's permission), it certainly is far less invasive than a prostate exam. Just as I'm sure that no woman wishes to lose a breast, I am also fairly certain that few men want anyone to insert anything in their rectums outside of some good old fashioned bedroom fun. Most don't even like it to happen there. The truth is that most men fear the EXAM more than they fear the actual disease! If they are under the impression that having the test will be worse than the cancer, I think they are sorely mistaken. Prostate cancer causes problems urinating, ejaculating and (much more frightening to men) can cause significant "performance issues". If a woman is afraid that she cannot be considered a woman without her breasts, how should a man feel like a man if he is not able to have an erection?

Penn and Teller theorize that we are more aware of breast cancer because "men like boobs" and thus the whole population is behind the cause. I'm not sure I totally agree with that. But I do think that we need to be more aware of prostate cancer in this country at totally equal levels as we are aware of breast cancer.

In summation, I really don't know for a fact why prostate cancer is not as often discussed or feared. Do you have any ideas? If so please leave a comment. You might be the first to ever do so on my blog!~~STEVE



BTW... If I have scared you with all this talk of cancer, I wouldn't worry too much. Statistics also show that you are still much more likely to die of heart disease anyway.