The ManicaPost
OCTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and an opportunity to remind each other about the importance of getting regular checks, early detection and access to timely health care.
This year’s Pink Month is running under the theme: ‘Thrive 365’, which seeks to promote proactive well-being and informed action throughout the year.
While the overwhelming majority of breast cancer patients are female, the lesser known side of breast cancer is the fact that men are not immune to this potentially deadly disease, hence the need to always be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of the disease.
This may surprise many men, who may not realise that they too have breast tissue that can be susceptible to breast cancer, just like their female counterparts.
However, breast cancer in men is very rare.
To put this into perspective, one in eight women develop breast cancer, while one in 833 men do.
According to the 2017 Cancer Registry Report, only 0.9 percent of the reported breast cancer cases were men.
Since breast cancer is this rare in men, there is the possibility that by the time it is diagnosed, men can be at a later stage than a woman would be, simply because they are not looking for it.
Women have mammograms so they tend to have early detection and access treatment much earlier.
On the other hand, men usually self-discover when the cancer has already progressed and spread to other parts.
That means men’s breast cancer is generally more serious and the treatment more intense.
Researchers say male breast cancer patients often don’t survive as long as their female counterparts, largely because they don’t even realise they can get it and are slow to recognise the warning signs.
The risk factors for men include old age, with the average age for a male diagnosed with breast cancer being 68.
Heavy alcohol consumption also increases a man’s risk for breast cancer, as well as family history.
To get a chance to discover the cancer early, men need to look out for lumps in their breasts, usually painless, wrinkling, redness, scaling or nipple inversion.
When theycome across such symptoms, it is important for them to tell their doctor right away so that they can pursue a diagnosis.
Breast cancer has no barriers when it comes to gender, ethnicity or race, and anyone can develop it, particularly if they have certain risk factors.
The good thing is that breast cancer can be treated if diagnosed early. There is good prognosis in early diagnosis and treatment.
Being vigilant and watching for the early signs of breast cancer is one of the most effective steps in successful treatment.
