12 Types of Common Cancers in Men (With Screening)
Certain cancers put men at a higher risk
Medically reviewed by Doru Paul, MD
It's hard to hear the news of a cancer diagnosis, but that's what an estimated 1,010,310 men in the U.S. experienced in 2023. Besides skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men (29%), followed by lung (12%) and colorectal (8%) cancers. It is lung cancer, however, that claims the most lives, causing 22% of all cancer deaths in men.
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Thankfully, survival rates overall are improving, even for some difficult-to-treat cancers. Better treatments and early detection—especially for colon cancer—are saving lives. Still, for males, the average risk of developing cancer at some point in their lives is 40.5% or nearly one in two.
The Most Aggressive Cancers in Men
Lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers are the most aggressive cancers in men.
This article looks at the 12 most common types of cancer in men and the top causes of cancer death in men in the United States. It also explores some things to be aware of to lower your risk.
Prostate Cancer
The most common cancer in older males (50+) is prostate cancer. It is also the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths among all men in the United States. It will be responsible for an estimated 35,250 deaths in 2024.
Rates of prostate cancer are higher in Black men than in those of other races and ethnicities. Black men are often diagnosed at younger ages also.
Lung cancer deaths in men outrank prostate cancer deaths, because of differences in the survival rates of the two diseases. There are far more men, roughly one in eight across a lifetime, who are diagnosed with prostate cancer. But their survival rate at five years approaches 99% while lung cancer survival rates remain far lower.
Prostate cancer: One of the Most Curable Types
For stages 1 and 2, prostate cancers have a five-year survival rate of 99%. Most prostate cancers are very slow-growing or remain stable and are very treatable.
Most men are diagnosed before they have prostate cancer symptoms. Be sure to let your healthcare provider know if you have a family history of prostate cancer, which may increase your risk for the disease.
Related: How Prostate Cancer Is Diagnosed
The Three Cancers That Only Affect Men
Penile, prostate, and testicular cancers are the only types that only affect men.
Colorectal Cancer
In the United States, colorectal cancer, meaning all cancers of the colon and rectum combined, is the third most common cancer. In men, it is also the third leading cause of cancer death.
Colon cancer screening for the general population can clearly save lives. A colonoscopy may detect early cancers in the colon.
Unlike some other screening tests in men, it accomplishes two purposes:
Primary prevention of colon cancer
Detection of disease when it's in the earliest and most treatable stages
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises people who are at average risk to begin colon cancer screening at age 45. Depending on family history and colon-related medical conditions, colon screening may be started at a much younger age.
Related: Colon Cancer Symptoms
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer leads the list of fatal cancers in men. It is the reason for more deaths than the next two leading cancers—prostate and colorectal—combined. Lung cancer was projected to cause 65,790 deaths in men in 2024.
Symptoms of lung cancer in males may include:
Persistent cough
Coughing up blood
Hoarseness
Shortness of breath
Risk factors for lung cancer include smoking, but there are others. Among them is radon gas exposure, the cause of up to 14% of all lung cancers across the globe and the leading cause among non-smokers.
Takeaway
Screening for lung cancer using computerized tomography (CT) has been found to lower the risk of lung cancer death by 20%. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening for people who:
Are between ages 50 and 80
Have a 20 pack-year history of smoking
Currently smoke or quit smoking in the last 15 years
Would be able to tolerate or benefit from treatment if diagnosed with lung cancer
The American Cancer Society has the same guidelines, except they have no time limit on how long a person should continue the annual screenings.
Related: How Lung Cancer Is Diagnosed
Skin Cancer
Men are more likely to die of melanoma than women at any age. White adolescents and young men are around twice as likely to die from melanoma as white women of the same age. By age 80, men have triple the risk. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
There are some possible explanations for this disparity between the sexes. Men typically tend to be:
Less likely to use sunscreen
Less knowledgeable about skin cancer risks
Less aware of skin changes or growths
Less likely to seek medical evaluation
Less likely to wear sun-protective clothing and hats
Spending more time outside for work or recreation
Some ways to practice sun safety include:
Avoiding sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (and seek shade when possible)
Wearing long sleeves, pants, wide-brimmed hats, and sunglasses
Using SPF 30 or above sunscreen
What does skin cancer look like?
Various types of skin cancer look different. The mnemonic device ABCDE (and F) can help in recognizing when a skin change may indicate melanoma, the most serious type:
A: Asymmetry
B: Borders
C: Color
D: Diameter
E: Elevation or evolution
F: "Funny looking"
Learn More: Symptoms of Skin Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer is most typically diagnosed in men aged 15 to 45, with an average age of about 33, but it can occur at any age. While the exact cause is unknown, researchers believe that a combination of genetic, physiological, and environmental factors is involved.
Some common disease associations include:
Younger age
Race (most common in White men, less common in Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American men)
An undescended testicle
Testicular development issues
Other risk factors may include:
Horseback riding
Competitive cycling
Smoking
Being overweight or obese
Having had a vasectomy
Although none of these risk factors has been proven to cause or contribute to testicular cancer, these have long been associated with the disease.
Testicular cancer: One of the Most Curable Types
The cure rate for testicular cancer, at around 95% for all men treated, is excellent. Only about 500 men in the U.S. will die from testicular cancer in 2024.
Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer can include:
A lump or swelling in one testicle
Breast growth or tenderness
Heaviness or an achy feeling in the lower abdomen or scrotum
See your healthcare provider if you feel any of these signs or symptoms.
Learn More: How to Check for Testicular Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most fatal cancer in men. It occurs far less often than prostate or even colon cancers, but the survival rate remains quite poor.
The overall five-year survival rate is 13%, but that drops to just 3% when people are diagnosed at the later stage of the disease. Unfortunately, most of them are, in large part because early-stage symptoms are either vague or non-existent.
There is currently no screening test for the general population, but screening may be needed for some people with a genetic predisposition. Because there may be a genetic element, it's a good idea to share a thorough family medical history with your healthcare provider.
Related: Causes and Risk Factors of Pancreatic Cancer
Liver and Bile Duct Cancer
Cancers of the liver and bile duct are the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the U.S.
If a cancer originates in the liver, it's called primary liver cancer. It's important to distinguish liver cancer from metastases to the liver, as many people who speak of liver cancer are actually referring to cancer that has spread to the liver from other regions of the body.
Common symptoms of liver cancer in both males and females include jaundice, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. Currently, there is no general screening test available for liver cancer. Testing may be recommended for some people at risk, such as people with chronic hepatitis B infection or cirrhosis.
Related: How Liver Cancer Is Diagnosed
Leukemia
Leukemia is not one disease but rather several types of blood-related cancer. They include:
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
The causes of leukemia vary depending on the type. Because it's a blood-related cancer, symptoms are not usually related to one specific region of the body. In addition, symptoms of leukemia often overlap with those of other conditions.
Improvements in leukemia treatment have been encouraging. For example, acute lymphocytic leukemia (the type most common in children) used to be rapidly fatal. The five-year survival rate is now 91% in children and 75% in adolescents. For adults, depending on the kind of leukemia, survival rates range from 26% to 86%.
Despite an inability to "cure" some cancers, the idea is that many cancers will eventually be managed as chronic diseases—like diabetes is now.
Related: How Leukemia Is Diagnosed
Esophageal Cancer
Esophageal cancer is the seventh most fatal cancer in men in the United States. There are two primary types of cancer of the esophagus:
Adenocarcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
These differ by the types of cells in which the cancer began. Squamous cell carcinoma was more common in the past, but adenocarcinoma is now the most common form of the disease. The risk factors vary depending on the type of esophageal cancer.
Symptoms of esophageal cancer may include:
Persistent cough
Hoarseness
Trouble with swallowing
Feeling of something stuck in the throat
Esophageal cancer is often diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, in part because the symptoms are common in other conditions too.
Takeaway
The overall five-year survival rate for esophageal cancer is 22% and varies considerably with the stage at diagnosis. The five-year survival rate for people who have the disease diagnosed locally is 49%. It drops to 6% for those who have a distant spread of the disease.
Related: Treatments for Esophageal Cancer
Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is the eighth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in men. An estimated 63,070 men will receive a diagnosis in the U.S. in 2024.
There are several types of bladder cancer, the most common being transitional cell carcinoma.
In roughly 50% of men, bladder cancer is diagnosed at an early stage when it affects only the inner layer of cells in the bladder. This underscores the need to know the risk factors and symptoms in the hopes of an early diagnosis, especially because there is not yet a general screening tool.
Smoking is believed to be the cause in almost 50% of men with bladder cancer.
Related: Comparing Bladder Cancer Treatment Options
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is the ninth most fatal cancer in men. This cancer begins in the lymphatic system, which is part of your immune system.
Specifically, NHL starts in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell found in structures called lymph nodes. These nodes are found in various locations, including the neck, armpits, between the lungs, and others.
There are over 30 types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. They are broken down into two major groups depending on whether the affected lymphocytes are B cells or T cells. The behavior of these tumors varies widely, with some lymphomas being very slow-growing and others being quite aggressive.
Symptoms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma depend on what lymph nodes are affected, although it's important to note that this type of cancer tends to spread throughout the system before it is found.
Some risk factors differ from those implicated in other cancers. These may include:
Long-term infections such as Helicobacter pylori
Exposures to work or household chemicals and pesticides
Radiation exposure
Since there are so many types and subtypes of NHL, it's hard to talk about prognosis. However, the overall five-year survival rate of people with NHL is approximately 74%.
Related: Hodgkin's vs. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Brain and Other Nervous System Cancers
Brain cancer, along with related nervous system cancers, is the 10th most common cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the U.S.
Symptoms can include:
Headache
Seizure
Nausea and vomiting
Blurred vision
These cancers are primary brain and nervous system cancers, like gliomas or central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma. That means they did not start somewhere else, like the lung, and spread there.
Diagnosis usually is done on the basis of a physical exam, a CT or other imaging, and possibly biopsy. Surgery to treat brain cancer may be an option, but chemotherapy and radiation are likely options.
Related: How a Brain Tumor Is Diagnosed
Tips to Lower Your Cancer Risk
According to the World Health Organization, the most common causes and risk factors of cancer include:
Smoking and tobacco use: Don't smoke and try to quit if you currently do.
Alcohol: There is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Lack of physical activity: A 2022 study found that as little as 15-20 minutes of vigorous activity per week, accrued in short (two-minute) bursts, was linked to a lower cancer risk.
Being overweight or obese: Try to lose weight, if possible.
Poor diet: A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and fish should be a priority.
Sun exposure: Avoid the sun at peak hours (10 a.m.—2 p.m.), wear 30+ sunscreen, and cover up.
Radiation exposure: Have your home radon tested. Some other sources include CT scans, X-rays, air travel/airport security scans, cell phones, and wearable technology.
Viruses, bacteria, and parasites: Pathogens are recognized as risk factors for some types of cancers. For example, H. pylori bacteria raises stomach cancer risk.
Exposure to cancer-causing substances: Many items from processed meats to formaldehyde (found in many household products) can contribute to cancer risk.
Family history and genetics: Be sure to thoroughly discuss your family medical history with your healthcare provider so that any necessary testing or early screening can be initiated.
Immunosuppression: Immunosuppression can be caused by disease, but can also be induced by medications and some medical procedures. Know your risks and options.
Remember that changeable lifestyle choices as well as work and living environments can be key contributors to a cancer diagnosis.
Learn More: Causes and Risk Factors of Cancer
Summary
New screening guidelines, treatments, and other advances mean that many people are surviving cancer or living with it longer. It's important to be familiar with the signs and behaviors associated with the 12 most common cancers in men. Keep in mind that some cancers can be "silent threats," meaning they don't typically cause symptoms until they are advanced. Talk to your healthcare provider to get a better sense of your overall risk and take the preventative steps necessary to avoid these 12 common cancers.
Related: Average Life Expectancy of Males in the U.S.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
