Male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss, affecting 6.5 million men in the UK.

It generally starts with a little thinning of the hair, followed by wider hair loss, allowing more of the scalp to become visible.

For a few men, this process starts as early as the late teens. By the age of 60, most men have some degree of hair loss.

Some men aren’t troubled by this at all. Others, however, suffer great emotional distress associated with a lack of self-esteem and, in some cases, depression.

Find out more about potential treatments…

Bowel cancer is a term used to describe cancer in the colon, rectum or the small bowel.

The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:

• Bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your stools
• A change in normal bowel habits to diarrhoea or looser stools, lasting longer than 4 to 6 weeks
• A lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or abdomen (more commonly on the right side)
• A feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you needed to pass a bowel motion)
• Losing weight
• Pain in your abdomen or back passage
• A lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia)

Because bowel tumours can bleed, cancer of the bowel often causes a shortage of red blood cells. This is called anaemia and may cause tiredness and sometimes breathlessness.

Bowel cancer screening

How do I get a screening kit?

If you are aged 60-69 years, you will be sent your screening invitation automatically through the post. All you need to do is make sure that your GP has your correct address.

People aged 70 years and over who want to be screened before then should request a kit. Simply telephone the free helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

Macmillan cancer support

Have questions about cancer? Visit www.macmillan.org.uk or call 0808 808 000 free (Monday to Friday 9am – 8pm).

Although still rare compared to other cancers, testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged between 15-45 years with around 2,200-2,300 men being diagnosed each year. It is more common in Caucasian males.

If found at an early stage a cure rate of 98% is usually possible and even when testicular cancer has spread to other areas of the body cure can still be achieved. In fact according to recent research overall 96% of men diagnosed with any stage testicular cancer will be alive 10 years after treatment.

It is important to visit your GP as soon as you notice any lump or swelling on your testicle. Your GP will examine your testicles to help determine whether or not the lump is cancerous.

Symptoms

The earliest warning signs of testicular cancer usually include the following:

• A change in size or shape of a testicle.
• Swelling or thickening of a testicle.
• A firm, smooth, initially painless, slow-growing lump or hardness in a testicle.
• A feeling of testicular heaviness.

Helpful leaflets and Links

• Self Examination Guide
• Testicular Cancer Facts
• Orchid – Fighting Male Cancer
• Your Privates – Testicular Cancer Awareness

If you’ve forgotten to take your pill, your condom split or you’ve had unprotected sex in the last 72 hours then you may need emergency contraception, and the sooner you take it the better.

Emergency contraception is available free from Contraception and Sexual Health Services, some GPs (family doctors) and most pharmacies (chemists), even if you’re under 16.

If you’ve had unprotected sex or your condom failed, it is also really important to consider your risk for sexually transmitted infections and to think about your long-term contraception needs. Please phone the surgery to book an emergency appointment.

If you miss the 72 hours it is still possible to have an emergency coil fitted up to 5 days after unprotected sex. You can have an emergency coil fitted for free at your local sexual health clinic.

Download an Emergency Contraception Guide.

The National Breast Screening Programme was introduced in 1988 as an early detection service for breast cancer. It states that all women who are aged between 50 – 70 years of age will be routinely invited for free breast screening every three years. The programme is very successful and currently saves around 1,400 lives per year.

Breast screening aims to find breast cancer at an early stage, often before there are any symptoms. To do this, an x-ray is taken of each breast (mammogram). Early detection may often mean simpler and more successful treatment. When women are invited for their mammogram depends on which GP they are registered with, not when their birthday is.

The screening office runs a rolling programme which invites women by area. The requirement is that all women will receive their first invitation before their 53rd birthday, but ideally when they are 50. If you under 50 and concerned about any aspect of breast care, please contact the surgery to make an appointment with your GP.

Cervical screening, or smear test, is a method of detecting abnormal (pre-cancerous) cells in the cervix in order to prevent cervical cancer. The cervix is the entrance to the womb from the vagina. Cervical screening is recommended every three years for women aged 25 to 49 and every five years for women aged 50 to 64 or more frequently if smear results indicates abnormal changes.

Cervical screening is not a test for cancer; it is a test to check the health of the cells of the cervix. Most women’s test results show that everything is normal, but for 1 in 20 women the test will show some abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix.

Most of these changes will not lead to cervical cancer and the cells may go back to normal on their own. However, in some cases, the abnormal cells need to be treated to prevent them becoming cancerous.

Our nurses are qualified to carry out cervical screening and tests in the form of cervical smears. In order to have a cervical smear the patient must have received a letter requesting that they have a cervical smear and the appointment must please be made for when the patient is not menstruating.

These appointments typically take around 10 minutes. For any further information or to book an appointment, please call the surgery.

External links

NHS Choices for advice and information

Jo’s cervical cancer trust