最近有研究表明，与女性相比较，美国男人通常不太愿意接受肿瘤筛查。这是一个值得关注的问题，及其它可能是男性因肿瘤或癌症死亡较女性为多的原因之一。为何男性通常不愿意接受肿瘤筛查呢？可能与男性更自信、怕麻烦、不在乎等心态，及其新闻媒体和专业人员提醒不够等有关。例如，如今的健康专家和新闻报道或公益广告等更多的是提醒女性“关注乳房，呵护子宫”等，但很少有专门针对男士们的提醒式广告。显然，针对上述不足有必要采取行动，以唤醒男士们，而让更多的男性加入自愿接受肿瘤筛查的行列。

Men More Likely to Skip Cancer Screenings: Study

Findings suggest need to better educate guys on tests' value, researchers say

TUESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Men are less willing than women to be screened for cancer, even though men have higher cancer death rates, a new study shows.

Researchers conducted a telephone survey of nearly 1,150 adults in New York City, Baltimore, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, who answered questions from the Cancer Screening Questionnaire. Most of the participants were aged 30 to 59, and 35 percent of them were men.

"This study examined beliefs and attitudes held by men and women about cancer screening. Our aim was to gain insight for improving existing cancer health promotion practices," study corresponding author Jenna Davis, of the department of health outcomes and behavior at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., said in a center news release.

"Our findings indicate that there is a need for better health and cancer screening promotion among men," she said.

The researchers suggested several reasons why men are less willing than women to undergo cancer screening: most cancer awareness campaigns in the media are for women's breast cancer; there is a lack of government-sponsored men's cancer awareness campaigns; and studies indicate that women see their primary care doctor more often than men.

But the study also found that when men are provided with the details of cancer screening procedures, they're slightly more likely than women to participate in cancer screening.

"This strongly suggests that men will participate in screening when given more information about screening procedures," Davis said. "This means that health educators, physicians and community-based organizations should make a concerted effort to educate men on exact screening procedures, explain how cancer is detected, and communicate what to expect during screening."

The study was published online Nov. 8 and will appear in an upcoming print issue of the American Journal of Men's Health.

SOURCE: Moffitt Cancer Center, news release, Nov. 22, 2011