Breast Cancer Treatment Advancements
- Actor Richard Roundtree, 80, is celebrating his 81st birthday this weekend and 30 years since being diagnosed with rare male breast cancer.
- Roundtree's acting career rose to prominence with his portrayal of John Shaft during the 1970s "Shaft" film franchise.
- He was diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering a lump while taking a shower in 1993. While men are diagnosed with breast cancer at much lower rates than women, a man's risk of developing cancer may be higher if there's a history of breast cancer in the family.
- Since the early 1990s, breast cancer treatment options have seen improvements. One such advancement involves the new HER2-low classification of some advanced breast cancers. HER2-low patients previously classified as HER2-negative could qualify for certain treatments.
- Trastuzumab deruxtecan (brand name: Enhertu) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug for certain stage four breast cancer patients whose tumors are classified as HER2- low. The treatment has been proven to improve patient outcomes.
It’s been 30 years since “Shaft” actor Richard Roundtree, 80, was diagnosed with rare male breast cancer. Since then, advancements in breast cancer treatment have prolonged the lives of people living with the disease.
Roundtree turns 81 this weekend and is celebrating three decades of survivorship since his diagnosis. The actor’s film career has spanned five decades and earned him several awards. While his portrayal as John Shaft in the 1970s “Shaft” franchise catapulted his career, he’s also had roles in “Speed Racer,” “Brick,” and “George of the Jungle,” among others.
“I couldn’t relate, and I thought he was questioning my manhood because women die from this, not men. How could I possibly have that? But I soon learned that this disease is not gender-based,” he added.
Roundtree first noticed early signs of his cancer while taking a shower.
“While I was taking a shower in Costa Rica, I felt this lump. I knew it wasn’t ordinary, so I finished work about a week later and had my doctor check it out. He said it’s nothing to worry about, but let me stick a needle in it anyway,” Roundtree explained to Essence Magazine in a previous interview.
He admitted he worried that his diagnosis would impact his acting career. He also said he felt a bit of shame after being diagnosed. Feeling shame and coping with emotions because of your diagnosis are completely normal feelings to have. SurvivorNet experts urge cancer patients to give themselves grace. Take the time necessary to deal with your emotions and share details of your diagnosis with people you feel need to know when you're ready to tell them.
Eventually, Roundtree started talking openly about his breast cancer diagnosis.
Understanding Male Breast Cancer
Like women, men have breast tissue and can develop breast cancer. Breast cancer starts when cells in the breast start growing out of control, typically forming a tumor that’s felt as a lump.
WATCH: Men Get Breast Cancer Too
A man’s risk of developing breast cancer may be higher if there’s a history of breast cancer in the family. Typically, male breast cancer manifests as lumps in the chest area. Factors like a patient’s race can impact the prognosis. Five types of standard treatment are used to treat breast cancer in men:
- Surgery for breast cancer in men mirrors the procedure in women. A modified radical mastectomy removes the whole breast with cancer. The result may involve removing the nipple according to the National Cancer Institute.
- Chemotherapy involves cancer-killing drugs to prevent the cancer cells from growing. Chemo drugs are usually taken orally or intravenously.
- Hormone therapy involves removing hormones or blocking their ability to help cancer cells grow.
- In radiation therapy, high-energy beams such as X-rays are aimed at cancer cells to kill them.
- Targeted therapy treatment uses drugs designed to target specific cancer cells.
WATCH: Marc Futterweit shares his breast cancer journey.
When Marc Futterweit was told to get a mammogram by his doctor, like Roundtree, he, too, was in disbelief.
“I said, What do you mean by a mammogram?’ I don’t have breasts,” Futterweit recalled saying.
However, a second opinion from another physician confirmed Futterweit had breast cancer.
“When I was first diagnosed, I didn’t tell my wife. I thought I was holding it together,” Futterweit said.
When his family learned he was battling breast cancer, they supported him. Having a support group filled with loved ones is an important part of a cancer patient’s journey toward survivorship, according to experts SurvivorNet has spoken to.
He realized that with their support, having male breast cancer is nothing to be ashamed of.
“Men are basically standing in the shadows, they’re ashamed or embarrassed,” Futterweit says.
“Just remember, it’s nothing that you have done to cause you to get breast cancer. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s not a woman’s disease,” he continued.
More on Breast Cancer Treatment
- An Overview of Breast Cancer Treatment
- FDA Warning: Robotically-Assisted Surgical (RAS) Devices Have Not Been Authorized for Breast Cancer Treatment or Prevention
- Do You Have HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer? Here’s A Breakdown Of Some Of Your Treatment Options
- Have You Been Diagnosed With Late-Stage Breast Cancer? Know That You Have Treatment Options.
- HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment Options Explained
- Monitoring After Treatment for Breast Cancer
Advancements in Breast Cancer Treatment Find a New Kind of Patient
Since the early 1990s, breast cancer treatment options have seen improvements. One such advancement involves the new classification of some advanced breast cancers.
HER2-low means that people previously classified as HER2-negative could qualify for certain treatments.
WATCH: HER2-low classification of breast cancer patients.
Breast cancer cells with higher-than-normal levels of HER2 are called HER2-positive. While they tend to grow faster, they are more likely to respond to treatment with drugs that target the HER2 protein.
In HER2-low cancers, they don't meet the threshold for HER2-positive tumors, but they still have a minimal amount of HER2 expression. The new classification of HER2-low patients may have the ability to take advantage of life-changing treatments like Enhertu, which can extend overall survival rates.
Trastuzumab deruxtecan (brand name: Enhertu) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug that was given the green light in 2022, for certain stage four breast cancer patients whose tumors are classified as HER2-low. Previous therapies targeting cancer tumors with HER2 (Human Epidermal Growth Factor 2)-low proteins, such as trastuzumab (brand name: Herceptin), have largely failed to benefit the HER2-low population, representing a large fraction of the diagnosed breast cancers.
“This drug has been around for a few years, and it’s very effective in the HER2-positive population,” Dr. Julie Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO, the chief medical officer and the executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, tells SurvivorNet.
“Now, however, we have a whole, huge group [HER2-low] of patients who have the potential for benefit, who we never even thought of giving HER2 targeted therapy to.” Dr. Gralow tells SurvivorNet that this represents yet another leap in using tumor characteristics to inform an individualized, targeted treatment for each patient, which usually begets improved patient outcomes.
The benefit of Enhertu for this population, as demonstrated in the DESTINY-Breast04 trial, has already been incorporated into the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for the treatment of HER2-low tumors, which have failed at least one prior line of chemotherapy, or HER2-positive tumors that have become immune to the traditional hormone therapies.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are facing a breast cancer diagnosis, whether you’re a man or a woman, here are some questions you can ask your doctor to learn more about it.
- What kind of breast cancer do I have?
- Has the cancer spread to other parts of the body?
- What stage is my cancer in?
- What other tests should I seek out to better understand the cancer before deciding on treatment?
- What are your treatment recommendations and their likely side effects?
- What other doctors can give me additional opinions?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
