Royal London is urging men to raise health concerns as early as possible to ensure early treatment as the insurer’s data shows a worrying decline in prostate and testicular cancer claims.
At the start of Movember, the annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, a Health & Protection analysis revealed the number claims for these types of cancer appear to have dipped during the pandemic.
Now Royal London has released data indicating a worrying fall in claims from men between 2019 and 2020. The data shows claims for the most common cancer, prostate, fell by half (47%), while claims for testicular cancer were 38% lower.
Commenting on the data, Craig Paterson, chief underwriter at Royal London, (pictured) said: “The strain placed on the NHS as a result of the pandemic understandably caused interruption to the usual health screening programmes.
“With access to GP surgeries also impacted, conditions such as prostate and testicular cancer have gone undiagnosed for longer.
“As a result, our overall claims last year for critical illness conditions were a fifth lower than expected, with the number of claims for testicular cancer down by a half.
“We know that the early detection of conditions, especially cancer, ensures that treatment can start sooner, which in turn boosts the overall survival rates.
“The concern is that delays in diagnosis will mean more intensive treatment is required and, tragically, the likelihood of greater deaths.
“As the NHS recovers and screening programmes resume, we’d urge people to take any health niggles seriously and raise any concerns with their GP.
“The Movember movement is a great cause. We all need to help raise awareness, beat stigmas and motivate everyone to lead healthier lives, which includes being alert to symptoms that don’t seem right.”