Cancer to hit 50% of men by 2027

A TV advertising campaign has been launched in the UK as research reveals that half of all men will get cancer, it was revealed here Thursday. Cancer Research UK has released figures showing that diagnosis of men with the disease is increasing, but more are also surviving. The charity used Boxing Day to launch a TV campaign highlighting how research can save lives and featuring stories from survivors. New figures suggest that by 2027, 50 men out of every 100 are likely to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. That compares to 44 out of every 100 in 2010. Women's lifetime cancer risk is also increasing and is predicted to rise from 40 to 44 out of every 100 women by 2027. However, the charity says that cancer survival has doubled in the last 40 years thanks to detection techniques and improved treatments. Age is the biggest risk factor for cancer and the increase in risk is largely due to more people living longer. The cancers set to increase most in the next 15 years include prostate, bowel and melanoma, Cancer Research UK says. Prostate cancer remains a continuing challenge. Cases of the disease are rising but it is not yet possible to distinguish which prostate cancers will be life-threatening. Professor Malcolm Mason, Cancer Research UK's prostate cancer expert, said in a report: "Prostate cancer needs research. We have many questions and research is key to providing answers about the disease. "As our population ages, growing numbers of men will be diagnosed with the disease. "Over the last 40 years prostate cancer incidence rates in Great Britain have tripled, and three-quarters of cases are diagnosed in men aged over 65 years." One example of useful research by Cancer Research UK scientists is work indicating that a protein called (MSMB) may help identify men at greater risk of prostate cancer. The researchers showed that this protein seems more accurately linked to prostate cancer than the marker currently tested for - the prostate specific antigen (PSA).