Breast cancer affects men too

Nine years ago Michael Blakely, 51, was diagnosed with breast cancer after his girlfriend noticed a lump on his breast.

“She likes to lay on me so she was close enough to feel the lump,” Blakely told the Defender. He initially resisted pleas from his girlfriend to go and get checked out.

“But a year later the lump got bigger, more noticeable and was hurting all the time. That's when I went to get it checked out,” he said

He underwent chemotherapy at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, on the West Side, and his cancer is now in remission

Blakely said a lot of men do not seek medical attention even after noticing lumps because they do not have health insurance.

“We (Black men) do not have health insurance. We are either unemployed from being laid off or are underemployed and cannot afford insurance,” Blakely said. “The only reason why I sought medical attention is because the lump on my chest started to hurt. That's when I went to Stroger Hospital for help.”

He added that he was not sure he could receive cancer treatment for free at Stroger Hospital, and because he had no insurance to see a private physician, he went untreated.

“After the pain became too much I started inquiring about free treatment centers and that's when I learned Stroger Hospital offered free services,” he said.

Like actor Richard Roundtree, Blakely is a breast cancer survivor.

Historically, women make up the vast majority of breast cancer patients. But health officials say men can be-and, increasingly areaffected by the disease.

Every five years the Illinois State Cancer Registry completes a study on male breast cancer cases in Illinois. From 2002 to 2006 55 Black men were diagnosed with breast cancer. Nationally, 346 men were diagnosed with breast cancer during the same time period. And this year the ISCR estimates 60 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Males makes up less than 1 percent of all breast cancer patients, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“The likelihood of men getting breast cancer is low because men have very little breast tissue, where the cancer can originate,” said Nomathemba Pressley, director of Education Initiatives for the American Cancer Society

But the number may be higher because men routinely do not see a physician annually, so breast cancer in many men may be going undetected, she said.

“Men do not get annual checkups like most women so some men may have it but don't know,” Pressley told the Defender. “But even if they do not go see a doctor regularly there are things men can do to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.”

Men can watch their weight and reduce their alcohol intake to minimize their risks, she advised.

“It would be safe to say that men who are heavy drinkers are a higher risk at getting breast cancer,” Pressley said.

Other medical sources point to family history and being a genetic carrier as other risk factors for men.

Men often ignore lumps so they do not seek treatment even though lumps in men are more noticeable than in women, she explained.

After breast cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the breast or to other parts of the body. This process is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines progression of the disease.

“It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment. Breast cancer in men is staged the same as it is in women,” said Dr. Marshlie Indokumie, an oncologist at Rush University Medical Center on the West Side.

Oncologists, physicians who specialize in treating tumors or cancer, said they encourage men to perform self-examinations just as women do for early detection.

To do so, men are to feel around their breasts to check for lumps. Other breast cancer symptoms for men include headache, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and pain.

Treatments for male breast cancer include surgery, chemotherapy radiation and hormone therapy. Breast cancer is usually found in men between 60 and 70 years old.

Indokumie explained the types of breast cancer commonly found in men:

* Infiltrating ductal carcinoma: Cancer that has spread beyond the cells lining ducts in the breast. Most men with breast cancer have this type of cancer.

*Ductal carcinoma in situ: Abnormal cells that are found in the lining of a duct; also called intraductal carcinoma.

*Inflammatory breast cancer: A type of cancer in which the breast looks red and swollen and feels warm.

*Paget disease of the nipple: A tumor that has grown from ducts beneath the nipple onto the surface of the nipple.

Physicians said often men have very little knowledge about breast cancer to recognize possible symptoms.

“Education for patients and their families is one of the keys to understanding and coping with the challenges of breast cancer,” said Dr. Susan McDunn, who was among a group of oncologists that participated in an Oct. 9 breast cancer workshop at Stroger Hospital.