Breast cancer in men is rare, but they have mastectomies too

Pink ribbons, really anything pink, have become powerful symbols in the fight against breast cancer in which women need to be on the lookout for early signs of the disease. But what about men? This year an estimated 210,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer — a diagnosis 2,000 men also will receive, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune.

“It never occurs to men that we can get breast cancer,” said Val Lucier, who had a fast-growing cancer and underwent a mastectomy. “We’re oblivious, and that’s what’s so dangerous. You don’t expect it.” Read the Chicago Tribune’s full story at “The manly side of breast cancer.”

Duke Garner of Portsmouth, Va., also had a mastectomy after medication he was
taking led to tumors in his breast tissue. The biopsy results were inconclusive, but he opted for removal as a precautionary measure. The Health Notes blog of the Newport News Daily Press reports the hardest part for Garner was having a mammogram. “People looked at me like, ‘Does he know where he is?’” he said in a statement. The experience prompted Garner, president of a motorcycle club, to organize an Oct. 2 ride to raise funds for the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. Read the full Health Notes blog post at “Man who underwent mastectomy organizes breast cancer benefit ride.”

Read about symptoms and treatments for male breast cancer: American Cancer
Society and the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

--Mary Forgione