Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer experienced by American men, other than skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. And, even though some 16 percent of all men (close to one out of every six) will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes and it is the second leading cancer-related deaths, only one of every 35 will die from it.
Sounds like reasonably good odds and not particularly deadly ones either, especially if you take care of your health and get the right amount of exercise. So why does the stress of receiving such a diagnosis put male patients at greater risk of cardiovascular problems and suicide?
A study of nearly 169,000 Swedish men culled from the Swedish Cancer Registry from 1961-2004 discovered patients prior to 1987 were 11 times more likely to experience a fatal cardiovascular event during the initial week after being told about their prostate cancer diagnosis. Over a year's time, prostate cancer patients were twice as likely to have a heart attack. Thankfully, those numbers dropped significantly after 1987 to just triple the risk of a cardiovascular event during the first week after a diagnosis, compared to healthy men, and a constant, but slightly elevated risk during the first year after a diagnosis.
And, although the risk of suicide was very tiny (136 patients took their lives during the study), the greatest danger for men came during the first week after a diagnosis.
Just another reason the proper care and handling of emotions is an important part of any cancer survivor's tool kit.
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