10 Myths and Facts About Male Breast Cancer ​

Thank you for sharing. I actually saw a male patient there who was being scanned when I went in for my last test. So many people do not realize it affects men as well.

Thanks for posting traveltext. Discussing with my son right now. You are such a special member of this community. I enjoy coming across your posts. Hope you are doing well. Deb

WOW Traveltext - Great link. The list is clear & informative. Even better, it's written so men might actually read it. I've forwarded the link to my brother, who had prostate cancer. I'll send it to my son when he has time to be more receptive. And I'll certainly pass it along to others. Thanks for posting. And thanks for staying active in this cause.

And between all of us, we will keep this thread on the active list for at least a week.

SP

In January my then-71 year old husband was diagnosed with Stage 3a IDC, six years after my own breast cancer diagnosis. He has had a mastectomy, AC-T chemo and tomorrow starts radiation. Virtually all men are offered genetic testing, although like the the vast majority of males, he was found to have no known genetic risk factors, much like most women. Men are somewhat more likely to have a close relative with breast cancer than women (20 percent as opposed to 15 percent) and my mother in law was a breast cancer survivor. He had no other risk factors except older age. His brother and sister in law are a pathologist and gynecologist and they carefully quizzed colleague geneticists who said his case is almost certainly the result of a random mutation.

Perhaps as a result of seeing breast cancer first hand in his mother and wife, although our diseases were less advanced, and his more mature age, my husband has felt absolutely no shame or stigma at any point. He has been completely open with friends, even strangers when asked, about his diagnosis. Some men are very surprised to learn breast cancer is even possible in a male, many are curious about how he discovered it (inverted nipple, and only then did he notice the lump below it), but most of his friends knew it was a possibility. He has had great support from his male (and female) friends, although only one flower bouquet while our house overflowed with flowers in my case. One of his friends joked he must have caught itthat time I forgot to wash my hands, and he himself often laughs about being a member of the sisterhood. Not of course, that male breast cancer is not deadly serious. It is.

wow traveltext. Thanks so much for sharing your story. I'm looking forward to reading the other links also.

Yes, thank you for the education. I was under the misconception that male bc was much more driven by known genetic mutations than female bc. But it appearst to be more similar to female breast cancer, with the majority of cases having no known genetic mutation to blame.

OK - let's hear it for supporting Traveltext !!! Thanks for posting ladies.

Oh damn - it's almost that pink month again already. But I like your manifesto and will share.

So bumping again for a newbie on the active threads.