You’ll probably notice an increase of men growing out their mustaches throughout the month of November, but do you know the real story behind the annual trend? The purpose of Movember is to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and testicular cancer. The Movember Foundation has been empowering millions to join the health movement since 2003, and we are proud to support the continued effort to help develop the most effective surgical techniques for men’s health.
According to the Movember Foundation website, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and the number of cases is expected to almost double to 1.7 million by 2030. The goal of Movember is to “change the face of men's health” and ultimately decrease the number of early and preventable deaths. Men should be aware of the importance of early detection and effective treatments in common health, and more importantly, health professionals and researchers should keep this awareness at the forefront of their minds as they develop techniques and training methods. Men should consider to start getting their PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening between the ages of 40 and 50.
Increased awareness and fundraising for men’s health helps institutions like the Nicholson Center conduct research to find better surgical techniques for illnesses like testicular and prostate cancer. It also helps us find more effective ways to train surgeons in the field with techniques like robotic simulation using the da Vinci robot. Organizations like the Global Robotics Institute, have performed close to 9,000 robotically assisted prostatectomies to save the lives of those men with prostate cancer. Dr. Vipul Patel spearheads the Global Robotics Institute and strives to bring more awareness around prostate cancer and men's health. This year he is having his first Advanced Robotic Urology and Prostate Cancer Update conference in Napa, California to collaborate on advancements in robotic surgery for prostate, kidney and bladder cancers, genomics and biomarkers and much more.
We’re working hard to stay innovative in our men’s health research and want to celebrate survivors. If you want to participate in Movember this year, you can start by growing out your stache (or drawing one on) and tagging the Nicholson Center on social media! Help us continue to raise awareness and train surgeons for better treatment.
Click below to see some informative videos about Prostate Cancer!
Learn About Prostate Cancer
Sources:
https://us.movember.com/
http://www.globalroboticsinstitute.com/en/
