Mates form Mo-vember to get men into cancer checks

Adam Garone (left) and Barry Young get Movember off the ground in Auckland. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Chris Jones received the news on Christmas Eve that he had prostate cancer.

The Christchurch financial planner had been training for the Coast to Coast multisport event when a health check found a cause for concern.

Further tests confirmed the diagnosis.

He elected to have his prostate gland removed. The procedure took place in May 2004 and the 54-year-old has been in the clear since.

The experience has spurred him to get behind Movember, a fundraising initiative for prostate cancer.

Launched yesterday, the initiative wants men to sign on and grow moustaches next month to raise awareness - and funds - for the fight against prostate cancer, the most common cancer in New Zealand men.

Some 2200 men are diagnosed each year and about 600 die - about the same death rate as for breast cancer.

Mr Jones is the New Zealand organiser for the charity event, which began in Australia.

Co-founder and director Adam Garone said the idea was sparked by a conversation between mates about how fads in the 1970s had made a comeback.

Only two things hadn't made a comeback, they reckoned: macrame and moustaches. They couldn't do anything about macrame, but they decided to bring back the moustache, culminating in a party in Melbourne with 30 men who had grown moustaches just for the occasion.

Mr Garone said they decided to legitimise the idea as a charity fundraiser and approached the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, which was not keen initially.

They went ahead anyway, raising A$55,000 in 2004 for the foundation. Last year, the event saw 9500 men sign up - raising A$1.2 million.

The inaugural New Zealand campaign has the backing of cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee. Proceeds raised by Movember will go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Foundation president Barry Young hopes the campaign will raise awareness about men's health and get men over the age of 50 to seek a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which can indicate the early presence of cancer.

Auckland businessman Gerard knew little about the test's importance when it revealed he had elevated levels in 2004.

"I was more interested in cholesterol."

By the time a second biopsy had confirmed his suspicions, the cancer had already spread to the tissue surrounding the prostate.

He has had a clean bill of health since surgery this year to remove the cancerous tissue. But he has to have tests for the next five years before he can be given the all-clear.

He urged men over 50 - and those over 40 with a family history - to get regular PSA tests, because the cancer is asymptomatic for most men in its early stages.


THE FIGURES

* 2200 New Zealand men are diagnosed each year and about 600 die.

* Doctors believe half those lives could be saved if they were diagnosed early.

* A blood test which measures prostate-specific antigens (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate gland cells, can lead doctors to an accurate diagnosis.

* Elevated PSA levels could be an indicator of cancer; in most cases, it is not cancer. Accurate diagnosis can only be obtained with a biopsy.

* The Prostate Cancer Foundation recommends all men over 50 get an annual PSA and digital rectal exam. Men with a family history should have regular checks from 40.
www.movember.com
www.prostate.org.nz