Pink for all males: Male fight against breast cancer

Melissa Chekwa

FOR long, traditional perceptions have always maintained that breast cancer is a condition that not only affects women, but something that can only be experienced by women where men can only be susceptible to different cancers like the prostate, Kaposi’s Sarcoma, oesophageal and liver cancers.

However, studies reveal that just as women are affected by breast cancer, at least one in every 833 men are at risk of developing breast cancer, and due to less breast tissues in men, there is a delay of self-awareness if the cancer develops because it is hard for them to detect small lumps.

Owing to such, Medical News Today says because of little room in the breast for cancer to develop, it quickly spreads to other nearer body tissues. Therefore, it is not always possible to have an early diagnosis which is usually the strongest point of combating any kind of cancer because most men realise and believe they can also be affected when they are now in the late stages of cancer.

A local oncologist, Dr Nomsa Tsikai says due to that, most men have a hard time accepting the overwhelming condition as it usually leaves them in shock and in denial that they can also be victims.

However, for Chipinge-based Russell Tapson (63), finding out in August 2017 that he had a painless lump on his nipple during a shower moment made him consult a doctor sooner because to him it seemed irregular for a male to actually have a noticeable breast lump like that.

“I went to a women’s clinic for tests and funny to say I didn’t feel left out as I was the only male in the clinic. I found out that I was on stage two breast cancer but by the time I had a mastectomy the biopsy showed that the cancer had since developed to stage three,” said Tapson.

The oncologist highlighted that because of ignorance aligned to male breast cancer, there was stigma associated with the diagnosis from the general public.

“Making it more difficult is that it is hard for these men to find support anywhere besides family members because most of the breast cancer support groups assist only women,” said Dr Tsikai.

Male breast cancer signs and symptoms can vary but most would include a breast lump which is usually not painful in the early stages but becomes painful as the disease progresses due to compression of nerves; erosion of the overlying skin or invasion of the overlying muscle and ribcage, an ulcer of the breast skin, skin dimpling that can have the appearance of an orange peel (peau d’orange), nipple change (inversion of the nipple, rash on the areola area, nipple discharge which is usually spontaneous and bloody) and a lump in the armpit.

“Other symptoms pointing towards cancer spread to other parts of the body such as bone pain, abdominal pain, swelling over the liver, loss of limb function or numbness, jaundice and difficulty in breathing,” added Dr Tsikai.
Tapson, who suspects that cellphone radiation played a part in causing him breast cancer said he always kept his cellphone in the left pockets of all the shirts he wore.

Nevertheless, early detection and treatment saves lives therefore the doctor urged men to take their health seriously and be aware of these symptoms because their risk of getting breast cancer increases with age and the most vulnerable group is men above the age of 50.

Narrating how he got back to his normal health, Tapson said he was set to do eight chemotherapy cycles and 25 radiation cycles among other procedures. But due to the prevailing economic problems he was only able to do 17 radiation cycles.

“That didn’t matter much because I was able to detect the cancer not so far from its development so I had the surgery fast before my condition could deteriorate,” said Tapson.

Treatment options available for men diagnosed with breast cancer depend on the stage of the cancer.

“For early stage cancer confined to the breast, surgery is usually done to remove the lump or the whole breast. In more advanced stages which would have spread to the armpit lymph nodes, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are usually administered after surgery.

“If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, patients require palliative care which improves symptom control and quality of life,” said the oncologist.

The Cancer Association of Zimbabwe has partnered with the rest of the globe in spreading awareness of the disease in the month of October by calling upon people of all genders to come for cancer screening for only $5. In other months the fee is $15.

“Male breast cancer is slowly gaining weight, therefore we need to be cautious and go for regular tests to always stay on the right side,” said Tapson, a survivor who is keen on spreading awareness on the condition.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *