Learning About Male Breast Cancer
- Mike Burrows, a 69-year-old grandfather of two, initially thought nothing of the lump he found in his chest while showering.
- He ultimately had a biopsy donewhich led to his breast cancer diagnosis on Oct. 25, 2022, and a single mastectomy (removal of the breast) about one month later.
- Now he’s spreading awareness for the disease, urging, “If more men acted on it, then maybe we can stop cancer in men later on.”
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common signs of breast cancer in men include a lump in the breast, swelling in the breast, redness on the breast, flaking skin of the breast, irritation of the breast skin, dimpling of the breast skin, nipple discharge, pulling in of the nipple, and nipple pain.
- Treatment for male breast cancer is largely the same as female breast cancer, say experts. While men do have some special considerations, treatment options depend greatly on a variety of factors, including the size of the tumor and how far the cancer cells have spread, as well as biologic and genetic factors which may be powering your cancer.
- Treatment options may include surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy.
Male breast cancer only affects less than just 1% of men, according to the American Cancer Society, but Mike Burrows, of Derbyshire, England, is still urging others to get checked for the disease.
Read MoreBurrows told PA Real Life, “Prior to me going in for the biopsy, I had no idea what was going to happen.
“It suddenly dawned on me when I got to the door and it said: ‘Breast Clinic’ and as I walked through the door, I was the only man there, and I thought: ‘I'm out of my depth here.'”
Following his diagnosis, Burrows recounted, “I was just staring at the floor in the consultation room. I just didn't know what to say, nothing would come out of my mouth. You've reached the age of 68, and you think that you've got through life fairly unscathed, and then all of a sudden, you get something like this. It took my breath away.”
Thankfully, Burrows has since been given the “all clear” following five radiotherapy sessions this past March and is now urging other men to seek help when something seems wrong with their body.
Removing The Stigma On Male Breast Cancer
- There’s Not Much Out There About Male Breast Cancer — Let’s Change That
- Breast Cancer Drugs Are Rarely Tested in Male Patients — Now The FDA Wants to Fix That
- It’s All About Awareness and Education — Why I Advocate for Male Breast Cancer
- Music Mogul Mathew Knowles Tells SurvivorNet He Has a Clean Bill of Health after Beating Male Breast Cancer, Thinks it Should Be Called ‘Male Chest Cancer’
- The Square-dancing 81-Year-Old Man Who Survived Male Breast Cancer With a Sense of Humor — “How Does a Man Get a Mammogram?”
“I was completely out of water, a male with breast cancer… but now, I just want to make sure that guys out there try and swallow this pride pill,” Burrows explained. “It's the old thing that keeps getting put out, that men do not act on something that's wrong, they do not pick up the phone and call the doctor.”
He added, “But if I can achieve at least one male going to the doctors and getting checked out, then that will make me so pleased because I think there are a lot of men out there who don't act on it.”
Burrows especially hopes to see more men on breast cancer brochures in hospitals or medical offices.
“I am a strong person, mentally, but lots of men may have sat there and thought, ‘I can't handle this, I'm in a females environment, I'm in a breast clinic and everyone will wonder why I'm here,'” he said.
Following his radiotherapy sessions, Burrows must now take his prescribed tamoxifen tablets (a breast cancer-fighting hormone therapy drug) for the next five years.
Burrows has dubbed himself lucky for getting his lump checked, urging, “If more men acted on it, then maybe we can stop cancer in men later on.
“Men just need to be aware that, if something's not right or they've noticed a change, don't just think, ‘Oh, it'll go away next week,’ because it may not. If I'd have done that, mine wouldn't have gone away.”
Understanding Male Breast Cancer
Men getting diagnosed with breast cancer is rare. However, as we learned in the case of Mike Burrows, it can definitely happen. Since this disease makes up less than 1% of all breast cancers, male breast cancer poses a unique challenge when it comes to awareness and early detection.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common signs of breast cancer in men include:
- A lump in the breast.
- Swelling in the breast.
- Redness on the breast.
- Flaking skin of the breast.
- Irritation of the breast skin.
- Dimpling of the breast skin.
- Nipple discharge.
- Pulling in of the nipple.
- Nipple pain.
MORE: The Shock and Awe of Hearing You Have Breast Cancer Men Need to Know About Risks
Always talk to your doctor if you notice any changes to your breasts. Even if you feel like a change to your health is attributable to something benign, don't hesitate to seek out a professional opinion. You never know when speaking up can lead to a crucial diagnosis.
It’s also important to note that treatment for male breast cancer is largely the same as female breast cancer. A person's options depend greatly on a variety of factors, including the size of the tumor and how far the cancer cells have spread, as well as biologic and genetic factors which may be powering your cancer.
Possibilities include surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy.
There Is Nothing to Be Ashamed of With Male Breast Cancer
Just as Mike Burrows shows, there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to male breast cancer. And other survivors we’ve spoken with say the same thing.
Marc Futterweit is a two-time breast cancer survivor … and he knows first-hand that the shame that comes with a diagnosis of male breast cancer can be quite debilitating.
If You Feel Something, Say Something Men Ignore Symptoms Too Often
The urge to just ignore the symptoms, almost like Mike Burrows did, and tell yourself breast cancer is a woman's disease may sway you from getting screened.
But Futterweit has also become an advocate for the disease and is now dedicated to halting that way of thinking.
Futterweit told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “Men are basically standing in the shadows. They're ashamed or embarrassed … this is a woman's disease. [But] why can't men get breast cancer?”
His philosophy is, “If you feel something, say something."
Futterweit detected his own cancer when he felt an odd lump on his chest during a shower. He admitted he was baffled when his doctor suggested he get a mammogram, but in reality, it probably saved his life.
“The problem with men is that they wait, and they think things are going to go away. Once they're diagnosed, sometimes it's too late,” Futterweit said.
Mathew Knowles, the father of music superstars Beyonce and Solange, also previously spoke with SurvivorNet, as a “male chest cancer survivor” and advocate.
Knowles’ cancer journey first started when he began noticing something strange on his T-shirts.
“My wife had bought some new T-shirts, white T-shirts, for me and imagine a white sheet of paper and you had a red pen and you have maybe four or five dots on it,” he said in a Twitter video. “And I said, ‘Maybe it's something to do with these shirts, T-shirts, my wife bought.”
When the red dots continued to appear after three days, Knowles decided to talk to his wife. “I said, '’ keep seeing these black dots of blood.' And she says, 'Oh, I cleaned the sheets the last couple of days and there were these black dots of blood on your side of the bed,'” he explained.
Before becoming a music executive, Knowles used to sell breast cancer imaging equipment. And this prior career was actually what pushed him toward a diagnosis in 2019.
“Oddly enough, I sold the leading modality for breast cancer detection from 1980-1988 at the medical division of Xerox, so I had some knowledge of breast cancer,” he told SurvivorNet. “I knew from years ago what [the blood] meant, and I immediately went to my physician who immediately referred me to get a mammogram that led to an ultrasound that led to a biopsy that led to surgery.”
Following his diagnosis, Knowles discovered he carries the BRCA2 (BReast CAncer 2) gene mutation which means that his children had a 50 percent chance of also carrying the gene. Thankfully, Knowles has previously said Beyoncé and Solange have tested negative for the gene mutation.
"Somewhere in all of this, there was a delay in getting back my pathology report. Had I got my pathology report back sooner, I would have had a double mastectomy, but I didn't,” he said. “In all my years working (in medical sales) I had never heard the words BRCA 2 or that I was mutated genetically. I knew nothing about BRCA2 or genetic mutation.”
Knowles, who is still cancer-free today, has become a fierce proponent for male breast cancer awareness as well as health advocacy within the Black community.
“It's like everything else in life. It's about knowledge,” he told SurvivorNet. "And knowledge is power. The more information we have, the better we can educate men and women about early detection.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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