In recognition of October as Breast cancer Awareness Month, global charities and other health organizations are all set to "think pink" once again. But with all the prominent female flurry about the disease, experts are fearing that breast cancer cases in men could fail to receive the same kind of attention.
In the United States alone, there is an estimated 2,360 cases of male breast cancer that have been diagnosed this year and experts say that, out of this number, over 400 of these men will succumb to the disease. Admittedly, the occurrence of breast cancer in male subjects is quite rare with a 1 in 1000 ratio, compared to the 1 in 8 in women. However, based on a study conducted by that US National Cancer Database, men who are afflicted with this type of cancer are less likely to survive the disease than women. Researchers have discovered that men who are diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to have larger breast tumors, which is also indicative that the cancer may have already potentially spread to other parts of the patient's body.
Dr. Jon Greif, lead author of the research said that, "This may be attributed to the fact that awareness of breast cancer is so much greater among women than men. Guidelines call for regular screening, both clinical and mammographic, in women, leading to earlier detection."
In a similar study conducted in 2010 by Dr. Eileen Thomas from the University of Colorado in Denver, it was found that 80% of the men who took part in the study were unaware that male subjects also had the potential to develop breast cancer. Majority of the men, it was found, were also unable to properly identify symptoms of breast cancer aside from the development of a lump in the breast. Clinical nurse specialist, Jackie Harris, said that, "Many people don't know that men can get breast cancer because they don't think of man as having breasts."