Breast cancer is a disease that women battle with constantly. But it doesn’t only affect the ladies. Breast cancer in men may be rare, but it’s something that the 10 men in Northern Ireland who are diagnosed yearly live with.
Ian Cranston, from Portadown, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, and had to get a mastectomy two weeks later, the BBC reports. The 70-year-old father of two was given an all-clear in June and has decided to talk about his condition publicly, in order to inform other men that breast cancer does not only affect women.
Cranston said,
Men also need to check their breasts for changes.
Ian’s wife, Elizabeth, noticed that something was wrong when her husband got out of the shower one day in May. She told him that he needed to get his inverted nipple checked.
“I didn’t know what that meant,” Cranston said. “Men can’t get breast cancer, I don’t have to go to the doctor. I wasn’t aware I had breasts. This is my chest, men don’t have breasts, it’s impossible.”
His wife eventually persuaded him to see a doctor, and they went to Craigavon Area Hospital. The diagnosis stunned Cranston. He said, “Men having breast cancer, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t do or say anything. My wife Elizabeth cried.”
Four days after getting checked, Ian said he “just broke.” He has decided to help raise awareness, saying that if his speaking out would help even one man, it would be worth it.
“I can understand where women are coming from because I’ve had breast cancer myself,” Cranston said.
There have been 166 men diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 23 years, according to the NI Cancer Registry at Queen’s University. The majority of them were between 60 to 80 years old, while 26 patients were under the age of 40. Forty of the patients were older than 80.
Annie Treanor, a Southern Trust breast care specialist nurse, said, “Many people don’t know that men get breast cancer because they aren’t aware that men have breasts.” She explained, “But men do have a small amount of breast tissue behind their nipples and this is where breast cancer can develop.”
