Male breast cancer awareness in Atlanta
We normally think of breast cancer as a woman’s disease, but men can also develop breast cancer. The incidence of male breast cancer is lower than in females, but the disease is as serious in men as it is in women. Because breast cancer isn’t as common in men, males are not usually diagnosed with breast cancer until the later stages. Conversely, there is so much breast cancer awareness for women that their cancer is often discovered earlier.
Approximately 17 percent of male breast cancer is inherited; thus, if you are a male and you have a family history of breast cancer, it would behoove you to ask your doctor to be screened for breast cancer.
Jennifer Brett of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed breast cancer survivors after an Atlanta Braves game in October of 2011. She interviewed several people at the event. Jennifer Brett reported:
“Dan and Judy Hardy of Covington are both breast cancer survivors. After his diagnosis and surgery in 2003, she became more vigilant about self exams and, in 2006, detected her own lump. The couple have [sic] been married for 38 years.”
Dan and Judy both had to undergo a single mastectomy.
Now that there is more breast cancer awareness for men, you will see men wearing pink while honoring all breast cancer survivors. Breast cancer is not gender specific. Men have breast tissue also; male breast tissue isn’t as developed as a woman’s but they have the same tissue. Breast cancer survivor Ralph Bell of West Cobb County stated:
“Men don’t have breasts — at least we think we don’t — so we can’t get breast cancer. But guess what, yes we can.”
For information on programs and services in your area or how you can support breast cancer research in Atlanta contact:
American Cancer Society Headquarters
250 Williams Street NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
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