Men not beating a path to the doctor

DALLAS, July 25 (UPI) -- Evidently, the stereotype is true -- men don't go to the doctor unless it is absolutely necessary, a Dallas urologist says.

Dr. Yair Lotan, a urologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, says a recent survey commissioned by and reported in Esquire magazine, indicated nearly half of men ages 18-50 say they don't have a primary-care physician and one-third admitted they haven't had a checkup in more than a year.

Although prostate exams help detect prostate cancer in its early stages, about 70 percent of men have never had one, Lotan says.

"Single men were even less motivated than married men to schedule a prostate exam," Lotan says in a statement.

About one out of every six males will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime -- prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death for U.S. men behind only lung cancer and experts say early detection is the key.

Why the hesitation?

"Men just don't like the idea of a digital rectal exam," Lotan says.

However, such exams should be part of annual physicals.

"About 20 percent to 30 percent of prostate cancers are diagnosed based on the fact that the physician felt a nodule," Lotan adds.