Comprehensive Cancer Centers celebrates everything that Movember is doing, and has done, to advance awareness and science for men’s health.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers is greatly appreciative of the many awareness programs helping to educate people about health risks, while providing pathways and encouragement for them to reduce those risks. The arrival of November, and the Movember movement is great in helpin men become aware of how to best manage their personal health.
Movember is largely known as a month when men grow mustaches and share stories to raise awareness. While many may see the month as a time when men participate to have fun, the Movember program has had real impacts on many lives, beyond the month of November.
Why Black Men Are Twice as Likely to Get Prostate Cancer
Due to research funded by money raised by men participating in Movember, research has been conducted by scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) in the US and the Institute of Cancer Research in London, with the genetics of 200,000 black men analyzed.
This new study by the team of international researchers has revealed that black men are more likely than white or asian men to have a range of genetic changes that increase their risk of getting the disease. This was discovered when the team was able to identify 86 new genetic changes that are associated with the disease – bringing the total number of genetic changes that influence the risk of prostate cancer to 269.
The study, which was published in the journal Nature Genetics in January 2022, also includes actionable recommendations with genetic changes being detected identifying men who may benefit from earlier and more regular screening. The challenge now is to explore how genetic screening tools can be used to more widely to reduce the number of black men being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, and encourage them to get screened in greater numbers.
Research and results extend even greater, with the following highlights of work done recently with funds and awareness raised through Movember:
Mental Health and Veterans and First Responders
Movember is funding projects around the world that support the mental health and wellbeing of military veterans and first responders – two groups at increased risk of poor mental health and suicide. In the United States, $5.74 million is funding initiatives like the Southcentral Foundation’s Soldier’s Heart Program, which reaches firefighters and police in isolated Alaskan communities who are experiencing workplace mental health stress. Learn more.
Mental Health for Resilience for High-Risk Men & Boys
Since 2015, Movember funding has been supporting the Legends of Lawndale and La Villita Warriors afterschool mentoring programs for boys of color in west Chicago. Team sports such as basketball are used to keep the boys active, engaged and to help them bond as a team. Watch a video about this amazing program.
Bringing Hope to At-Risk Native American Youth
Thanks to Movember funding through the Making Connections initiative, the Hope Squad suicide prevention program has been sponsored in three public schools in Andarko, Oklahoma, areas with large American Indian populations. The program trains students to be the ‘eyes and ears’ among their peers and look for warning signs of suicide and refer any student who is displaying signs of distress to an advisor.
$2 Million Funding for Prostate Cancer Research
New prostate cancer treatments are to be fast-tracked thanks to funds raised through Movember and The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. In 2021, Movember granted $2 million to two world-class research teams in the US. The recipients of the 2021 Movember-Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride-PCF Challenge Awards were Franklin Huang MD of the University of California and Matthew Freedman, MD, of Harvard University and the Dana Faber Cancer Institute. Learn more.
Using Data to Improve Care for Men with Prostate Cancer
Movember continues to improve the quality of life for men across the world by funding major scientific advances in treatment of prostate cancer. Movember’s True North Global Registry is a detailed database, including 61,000 men from 14 countries, that allows clinicians to tap into the experience of hundreds of others around the world. Movember also welcomed the approval in the United States of a new type of imaging agent that can more accurately determine whether a man’s prostate cancer has spread.
These are only a few of the many efforts Movember is helping power to empower men to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. The next time you see someone with a new mustache this November or see them raising awareness and/or funds for Movember on social media, you’ll know while the program is fun, it’s making real differences in many men’s lives.
You can get involved, with growing a mustache of your own, or supporting someone else’s mustache, by visiting their website to get started.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
Physicians at Comprehensive Cancer Centers provide a variety of treatment options for men’s health and men’s cancers including treatment and world-class clinical research. To schedule an appointment with the team at Comprehensive, please call 702-952-3350.
The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
