The Iceland Cancer Society launched a two-week campaign on Friday on raising awareness among men in Iceland about the dangers of cancer and the importance to know the symptoms, and if detected, seek assistance from a physician.
For the next two weeks, special ribbons will be sold to support the campaign. On Friday, during a special ceremony, the Icelandic ministers bought the first ribbons from chairman of the Cancer Society Gudrún Agnarsdóttir, Fréttabladid reports.
“Soon we will be able to offer men organized check-ups for colon cancer which is a great achievement,” Agnarsdóttir said.
Colon cancer is one of three types of cancer most often detected in men in Iceland, the other two being lung cancer and prostate cancer. Every year, 630 men are diagnosed with cancer in Iceland, 300 with one of the above mentioned types.
The ribbon is thus in tricolor, blue, white and purple, representing colon cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.
Agnarsdóttir said the campaign is important since men are not as eager to seek assistance from doctors as women, and in the case of cancer an early diagnose is essential.
On the website karlmennogkrabbamein.is, men can learn about the signs of cancer.
