The scary fact is that one in two Australian men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, with the five most common being prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, melanoma of the skin, lung cancer and lymphoma.

Sadly, most blokes prefer to stick their head in the sand when it comes to their health, and are unaware of the risks they face. Daredallion Week aims to help change this by raising awareness of men’s cancers and by directing funds raised directly into research, education and support services.

“This is one of the first Cancer Council events to specifically address the issue of men’s cancers,” says Professor Ian Olver, CEO of Cancer Council Australia. “We are hopeful that it will encourage more men to sit up and take notice of their health.”

For more information about how to become a Daredallion Man visit www.daredallion.com.au

For media enquiries, interviews with our ambassadors, spokespeople and case studies, contact Samantha on 02 8063 4154 / 0415 399 997 or email samantha.brown@cancer.org.au

Some interesting facts about men’s cancers:
• Cancer remains one of Australia’s biggest killers, affecting 1 out of 2 Aussie men in their life. The five most common cancers in men are prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, melanoma of the skin, lung cancer and lymphoma
• Over 13,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in Australia and it is responsible for nearly 3000 deaths – equal to the number of women who die from breast cancer
• Cancer mortality, morbidity and life-time risk are all higher in men than in women
• Lifetime risk of a cancer diagnosis (to age 85) is one in two for men, one in three for women
• Risk of diagnosis by age 75 is one in three for men, one in four for women
• Age-standardised cancer incidence rate in 2004 was 45% higher for males than females (573 per 100,000 compared with 395 per 100,000 females)
• In 2006, around 60,600 males were diagnosed with cancer; 45,400 females were diagnosed,21,900 males died from cancer; 17,300 females died