Men tend to think differently from women about their bodies and health, with specific attitudes towards lifestyle behaviors involving smoking, alcohol and diet. Coupled with the fact that significant numbers of men do not seek medical care or participate in early cancer detection practices, and men are twice as likely as women to die from cancer. The Men's Health Forum, MHF, wants health professionals to act to develop cancer prevention policies that take men into account. The MHF said that their analysis showed current cancer prevention policies and programs are not working for men.

As a result of these study findings, the MHF has formed a partnership with the publishers of Haynes car manuals to produce a new cancer guide in an effort to get men to take more of an interest in their health. The guide, designed in the same way as a car manual, provides information on how men can keep their bodies running like a finely-tuned engine. "Men are used to using information presented in this format. The body as machine metaphor resonates with the way many men think about health issues," stated Dr Ian Banks, MHF president and author of the manual. While the concept introduces an element of humor, the subject is serious business. MHF reports 134,000 men are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK, with 80,000 dying of the disease.