Breast cancer just affects women, right? Wrong. Here's what you need to know.
In
his new short film Irish comedian and actor Chris O'Dowd is surrounded
by topless women, so it's no surprise that his portrayal of Lars Larson -
hapless Health & Safety Officer of the Topless Female Trampolining
World Championships - is designed to raise awareness of breast cancer.
But
perhaps more surprisingly, O'Dowd's talent and fame - he starred in the
Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd and hit movie Bridesmaids - are being
used to highlight the male form of the disease. He may be surrounded by
female breasts, but Lars is here to remind us that men can get breast
cancer too.Male breast cancer: the facts
As Lars says in the video (www.toplessfemaletrampoliningworldchampionships.com), men have breasts, so men can get breast cancer. "Crazy but true," as he puts it.
Let's be clear, though. Male breast cancer is rare. Whereas around 45,000 women get breast cancer every year, only around 300 men are diagnosed with the disease.
The problem, according to Patrick Cox, founder of the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign (MCAC), is that many men consider breast cancer the "most embarrassing cancer". Many others don't know that men can get breast cancer at all. All of which means that too many men delay seeing the doctor when they notice any symptoms, which makes curing the disease so much more difficult.
Risk factors and symptoms
Doctors are not entirely sure what causes male breast cancer, but they do know that risk rises with age and that obesity can also be a factor.
Obesity may be a factor because it leads to high oestrogen levels, and though all men produce oestrogen, excess oestrogen has been linked to breast cancer in men. Drinking alcohol may also increase your risk.
Men are also more at risk if they have a close relative, male or female, who has had breast cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, "men, as well as women, can inherit faulty genes that can cause breast cancer."
The symptoms are similar to those of female breast cancer, and should always be checked out by a GP. They are:
-Oozing from the nipple (a discharge) that may be blood stained
-Swelling of the breast
-A sore (ulcer) in the skin of the breast
-A nipple that is pulled into the breast (called nipple retraction or an 'inny' nipple)
-Lumps under the arm
These symptoms may well be nothing, because male breast cancer is rare, but it's best to let the doctor decide
The most embarrassing cancer
And according to Patrick Cox of MCAC, male breast cancer is certainly uncommon, but "the sad truth is the amount of men affected is rising."
In some ways male breast cancer is like other male cancers: more men face intensive treatment and even death because they don't know how to detect the symptoms in the early stages, when treatment would be more effective.
The same is true for bowel, testicular and prostate cancer, says MCAC: "This ignorance is made worse by the prevailing 'culture of embarrassment' that discourages men from discussing and resolving problems related to intimate parts of their body."
A spokeswoman for CoppaFeel, the breast cancer charity that, along with MCAC, is running the new campaign, said: "It seems silly to us that men are dying unnecessarily because of this disease so we strongly believe this subject needs to be brought to the forefront of blokes' attention."
So the message is a familiar one. Men have to put their embarrassment aside and act on the symptoms they experience. That doesn't mean waiting a couple of months in the hope they go away on their own - it means having a quick chat with the GP who, after all, has seen and heard it all many times before.
The lowdown on male breast cancer
The fact is, you're highly unlikely to be diagnosed with male breast cancer. But you do need to get into the habit of seeing the doctor if you notice anything unusual. That's as true for the symptoms of male breast cancer as it is for anything else.