Underwear Affair Raises Funds For Taboo Cancers

A large group of underwear-clad Torontonians hit the streets Saturday evening to raise funds for cancers that develop below the waist.

The 10-kilometre run and five-kilometre walk – the so-called Underwear Affair – wound through the parks and roads of The Beach, snarling weekend traffic.

By some accounts, participants raised as much as $780,000 for the North York General Hospital’s cancer care centre.

But more importantly, they brought attention to a particular group of cancers that are sometimes considered taboo because of the area of the body they affect.

They include two of the most common types in the province – prostate and colorectal – but also encompass uterine, bladder, cervical, ovarian, and testicular cancer.

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Facts about Underwear Cancers

Prostate

– Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
– In 2007, there were 4,300 deaths in Canada due to prostate cancer.
– It’s predicted this number will steadily increase by 80 per cent over the next 10 year.

Colorectal

– Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer.
– Colorectal cancer affects men and women in about equal numbers.
– Factors that increase risk are: age (middle age or older), poor diet, family history of colorectal cancer, and history of inflammatory bowel disease.

Gynecologic

– The five main types of gynecologic cancer are cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar.
– More women die from ovarian cancer than all other gynecologic cancers combined.
– 90 per cent of women who get ovarian cancer are over 40.
– Cervical cancer is the easiest female cancer to prevent, with regular screening tests and follow-up.

Bladder

– Bladder cancer accounts for approximately 90 per cent of cancers of the urinary tract.
– About 4,800 Canadians are diagnosed annually.
– It is diagnosed two to three times more often in men than in women.
– The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine.

Soruce: Canadian Cancer Society