“My husband was 30 when he was diagnosed. He was healthy and athletic. Even a member of his family with medical training dismissed the early signs causing him to ignore a lump he had felt for a year and a half. He died 13 years later. There is no telling what things might have been with early detection…” – Alexis Gubbay |
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There is a widespread misperception that breast cancer is only a woman’s disease. But men can also get breast cancer. The tissue in the chest region is the same whether you call it breasts or pecs.
You may be interested to know that:
What puts men at risk?
Having some of these risk factors does not mean you will get breast cancer just as it is possible to get male breast cancer without any risk factors. |
“I had a discharge and went to the hospital and they dismissed it as a staff infection which would go away after taking antibiotics for 10 days. It did not. My physician ordered a mammogram (I didn’t know men had breasts) and that saved my life. Don’t ignore your body. If you see something out of the ordinary, go for an examination. Don’t ignore it. It may not be something that will just go away.” – Marc Futterweit, Wayne, NJ |
What are the symptoms?
- Lump, hard knot or thickening inside the breast or underarm area
- Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the breast
- Change in the size or shape of the breast
- Dimpling or puckering of the skin
- Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
- Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast
- Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
- New pain in one spot that doesn’t go away
Treatment can involve the following:
- Radiation
- Chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy
- Mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast
What to do if you have a concern?
- Talk to your doctor immediately, do not wait. The key to beating it is finding it early.
- At each annual exam speak with your doctor and have him/her do a clinical breast exam.