BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Because of what I have seen in my career, parts of this page represents the minority (MEN) in the area of Breast Cancer, and the lack of considering them as a risk factor for breast cancer.
Breast cancer does not affect women only, it also affects men, but by the time a man realizes the lump isn’t going away and seek medical treatment, it is usually too late because their breast tissue is mainly fatty and their breast (men say chest/pecs) is against the chest wall. Women’s breast protrudes from the chest wall. If a lump in a woman or man’s breast that is In situ (contained in one area), her/his chances are great to surgically remove the mass. If it has Metastasized (spread through the breast tissue), surgery is highly recommended. This concept depends on where the lump is located. So please encourage men and women to check their breast. It is much easier for man to perform a BSE than women because men don’t have milk ducts and other tissue for suckling’s. Considering the low risk for males in general, a self-exam is probably enough, says Giordano, because lumps are more easily felt on a man's chest. Men can also get genetic tests to screen for risks such as the BRAC2 gene, a known risk factor for men and women. Giordano offers the testing to all her patients, male or female. According to her, "Men who have children, especially daughters, are more likely to want to be tested" in hopes of giving their kids a head start detecting the disease.