Cancer counselling plea to men

Experts say fewer men seek after-care support

Cancer experts are urging more male patients to seek counselling following diagnosis to help their chances of survival.

Recent studies have shown a positive attitude can aid a patient's recovery but very few men are prepared to use after-care support.

Experts say that those who do feel their quality of life is greatly improved.

Medical oncologist Dr Bob Leonard said: "I think it's a common experience in medicine that women do find it easier to talk about illness.

There's two options here with this cancer - you're either going to die or you're going to live

Davy Steele

"They find it easier to be screened for illness than men do.

"It's a common problem and we see it now in the male population being screened, for instance, for prostate cancer."

Although experts concede that there is no evidence that a positive attitude can cure, they believe it can make a difference.

Cancer centre

Maggie's Centre at Edinburgh's Western General, has been set up to provide relaxation and therapy services for patients.

The centre is so successful that plans are being drawn up to provide similar centres across Scotland.

However, nurse Andrew Anderson said it was still failing to attract male patients and they could be missing out.

Davy Steele: "You've got two options"

"We have seen that definitely people who can take some degree of control over their health have positive outcomes.

"There are a lot of studies looking at improvements in quality of life and general health outcomes that suggest that people who are able to take a degree of control will do better."

Davy Steele, singer with the Battlefield Band folk group, was diagnosed with a brain tumour five months ago and said he believed a positive outlook could help prolong his life.

He told BBC Scotland: "There's two options here with this cancer - you're either going to die or you're going to live.

"All right, I might not be talking 10 years here but it will definitely not be six months or a year."