Do Men Know The Symptoms Of Male Breast Cancer?

Posting Date: 02/14/2000

Joe in Columbus: I am a man who was diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago.

My first symptom was that my left nipple was inverted - it was pulling in. That began to increase and then it became very painful. One night, it hurt so badly that it woke me up. That's when I went to my local doctor who sent me on to a surgeon.

The surgeon said he didn't think I had breast cancer, but he tested me anyway and found out that I did. Eventually I went to a breast specialist to have the tumor removed.

Since this experience, I have run into four or five more cases in Columbus alone. I don't hear the media talk about male breast cancer though, so I'm calling to raise awareness.

Dr. Dean: The pulling in that you are describing can be a symptom of breast cancer in either a man or a woman. This pulling is called "peau d'orange" - skin of the orange - and it should be taken seriously, as should a lump, in either gender.

Nonetheless, I would expect that many general practitioners would brush you off, send you on your way with some antibiotics. Instead, your doctor had a top-notch response that may have saved your life.

Breast pain is more likely to be something other than breast cancer, but as your case illustrates, that's not always true.

Since we can't count on the media for accuracy and balanced reporting, I appreciate guys like you calling in to keep us informed.

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