Behind the Pink Ribbons: 'Men Get Breast Cancer Too!'

Editor’s note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Patch is sharing inspirational stories of breast cancer survivors to help raise awareness for early detection. Would you like to share your story? Email wendy.mitchell@patch.com.

Written By Bob DeVito

I was diagnosed in 2012, at age 49, with stage 3a Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I thought it would be a great service to let everyone know that men get breast cancer too! It’s becoming more prevalent as men start doing self exams or at least becoming aware. Early detection is critical. October is pink, but we need to start adding a little blue for the men.

My mother had breast cancer. When I found mine it started out as a pea size lump that I mentioned to my doctor years earlier. I was told it was probably a cyst. I hadn’t been to the doctor because I wasn’t sick, didn’t have insurance for a period of time, and finally went back when I had an ear infection. I just happened to remember and say, “What about that lump I told you about?” He said “lets take a look.”. By this time it was a 2.4 cm. tumor.

I had a mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy, second opinion ultrasound, mastectomy with sentinel node biopsy and lymph-node dissection. I was stage 3a, ER/PR+, HER2Neu -.

I had 6 rounds of “aggressive” chemotherapy (A,C,T) over 18 weeks followed by 25 daily sessions of “generous” radiation. I’m currently on a 10 year regimen of Tamoxifen.

Men are treated just like women are because that’s what they know. There are so few men (over 2,300 per year in the U.S. according to the American Cancer Society) that get breast cancer. They use the same protocols they as they do for women.

Men can very rarely, if at all, get into clinical trials. They are written with the criteria of “women from xx age to xx age”. We, as men, always fall outside the scope of the clinical trials, studies and grants when they are written. Even the news articles seem to forget the men get breast cancer too. But, slowly, the tide is changing.

The Governors of most states, including Connecticut, have recognized by proclamation or law that the third week of October is Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week. A Male Breast Cancer Coalition has been established to link all of the male breast organizations together and to capture the stories of individual men who are living with or dying from this disease. Male Breast Cancer can spread to soft tissue and the bones. We’ve already lost too many of our friends. Each year over 400 men are expected to lose their lives to breast cancer according to the American Cancer Society.

You can visit www.malebreastcancercoalition.org to read the stories of the men or to donate to the cause.

Read more survivor stories:

• Breast Cancer Awareness: Behind the Pink Ribbons, A Survivor’s Story
• Woman Will Cycle 2,100 Miles in 30 Days for Best Friend With Breast Cancer