Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) Tata Memorial Centre’s (TMC) Urologic Oncology Disease Management Group (URO DMG) on Thursday rolled out ‘MenCan’ initiative that will focus on improving the lives of men affected by prostate, penile and testicular cancers.

According to the data from the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) 2022, the incidence of prostate cancer is on the rise in India, with an expected 12.6 new cases per 1,00,000 people. In 2025, India is projected to see approximately 41,736 new cases of prostate cancer.

Testicular cancer is also on the rise and is expected to reach 4,640 cases by 2025, while penile cancer is projected to account for 11,264 new cases this year, it said.

MenCan, a nonprofit and non-commercial initiative, will address the challenges of these cancers that are often neglected but significantly impact men’s lives.

At TMC, the number of new prostate cancer cases has risen significantly. In 2021, there were 700 new prostate cancer diagnoses, while in 2023, this number increased to 900.

Additionally, TMC addresses approximately 150 cases of penile cancer and 250 cases of testicular cancer annually.

Given the rising incidence of these cancers and as many men are often unaware of the risks or hesitant to seek medical help, it is crucial to implement initiatives focused on public education and research.

“It was about time that we constituted a group of individuals and other organisations with a focus on cancers of the men. Some of those cancers are hard to treat but others have a very good outcome provided multidisciplinary care is provided in a focused manner for the individuals,” TMC Director Sudeep Gupta told reporters.

Public awareness campaigns and advancing research are essential to addressing these health challenges and improving the outcomes for men affected by these cancers.

The beauty of the entire MenCan initiative is that therapy is one thing but once they have come out of the therapy there is a huge life left ahead of them, said Pankaj Chaturvedi, Director of the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), a TMC unit.

“We have to concentrate on that because now cancer is no more a fatal disease, it is a chronic disease. People live for 15-20 years with cancer and they live with unique deformities, disabilities and challenges. So this initiative is not only to enhance total care that we get but to hand hold the patients in their entire long journey,” he added.

Dr Amit Joshi, professor and head of department, Medical Oncology, at Tata Memorial Hospital, said, “MenCan initiative is an important step in tackling the rising incidence of cancer in men. Through this programme, we aim to educate men on the signs and symptoms of common cancers, the importance of regular health check-ups, and the various methods that can detect cancers at an early, more treatable stage.” PTI SM NP