Breast Health

1 out of every 1,000 men gets some form of breast cancer. I know you didn’t even know that men can get breast cancer (65% of men do not know about male breast cancer) and I’m sure that some of you didn’t even know men have breasts. The male breast is nearly identical to the female breast with the exception that the male breast generally does not have nearly as many fatty cells which causes the female breasts to be much larger. It is most common in males in their 60s but can occur at any age. Did you know that the mortality rate in men is higher than in women with breast cancer? This means that a male is more likely to die from breast cancer than a woman. Now the “point spread” is small (22.86% vs 20.7%), but we never hear anything about male breast cancer, you only hear about it when a woman has it or dies from it. But don’t worry, there is a way to detect it and if you detect it early enough the survival rates are really good. The longer you wait, the more the tumor grows and the harder it is to surgically remove it.

So how do you check for male breast cancer? You do a simple quick self-exam every month while in the shower. It is quick, painless, and could be life-saving. Did you know that of the 35% of the male population that know about male breast cancer, most do not check or know how to check? You can ask your wife to show you, chances are she does self-exams. But it is super easy and quick to do. Here is a video demonstrating how to do an exam.

So man up, and do an exam and if something feels wrong, see a doctor, the life you save could be your own.