'I was just shocked': Man surprised to learn he had breast cancer; Know what to look out for
Did you know that men have breast tissue and, therefore, can get breast cancer?
It's rare 鈥� only 1% of cancers are male breast cancer, and it's 100 times less common than breast cancer in women. But it does happen.
"It wasn't even a thought that occurred to me that it could be cancer," said William Duda.
Duda did not suspect that the painful lump in his breast was cancer, even though his grandmother and many other women in his family have fought the disease.
"I do have breast cancer in my family, so it was kind of shocking, but not. I was just shocked because I was the first man in my family to get it," Duda said.
"So even when physicians see patients 鈥� men 鈥� coming in complaining ... 'Oh, I have a breast mass,' that's not the first thing that's thought about, and that's unfortunate," said Dr. Shweta Kurian.
Kurian said men should watch for a lump on the breast or armpit, changes in the nipple such as discharge, redness of the breast and lumps where lymph nodes are (in the neck or armpit).
"Because we don't think about it makes it much harder to diagnose, and prognosis is poorer because, by the time we diagnose them, it's much later stages," Kurian said.
Duda fought hard and said chemo was challenging, but in the end, he was able to ring the bell, signifying he's cancer-free and can enjoy all life has to offer, like spending time with his daughter.
Now, he feels compelled to warn other men.
"It's something that men should be made aware of. Their physicians should probably take more of an active role when you reach a certain age if you have a history of this in your family 鈥� you should be aware of it, and you should check yourself out," Duda said.
"I think the stigma attached with having (been) diagnosed with a woman's cancer is something that you want to break. You want men to realize, 'Hey, it's just another disease.' You should be open about seeking an opinion if you have something like this," Kurian said.
Men with a family history of male or female breast cancer and those who carry a genetic mutation are at greater risk. It's important to know your family history.
The treatment for men's breast cancer is about the same as for women: surgery, chemo, radiation. However, a lumpectomy is not possible because there is not enough breast tissue. Mastectomy is the only option.
