Male breast cancer ‘never crossed my mind’ until I was diagnosed with stage 2 tumor- this is the symptom I ignored for months

Robert George ignored skin irritation on his chest for months before visiting a doctor who diagnosed him with male breast cancer.

The 61-year-old New Yorker thought the mild irritation under his left nipple was an ingrown hair and ignored the area for “many months.” When he finally went to the doctor, even health care providers attributed the irritation to a subcutaneous cyst, a noncancerous bump under the skin.

Cancer, he said, “never crossed my mind.”

However, Mr George was later diagnosed with stage 2 male breast cancer. Stage 2 generally means that the breast cancer is growing but is located in the breast or the growth has only spread to nearby lymph nodes.

In September, Mr George underwent a mastectomy, an operation to remove the cancerous breast from his left breast and remove nearby lymph nodes where traces of the cancer had been discovered.

Mr. George told it Today: ‘I’m sure, like most men, when we think about cancer at all, we might think about lung cancer, if you smoke, or prostate cancer.’

Robert George underwent a mastectomy, an operation to remove the cancerous breast from his left breast, and remove nearby lymph nodes

The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 2,800 new cases of breast cancer in men in 2023, making the cancer much less common among men than among women, who will see nearly 298,000 cases in 2023.

About one in 833 men will develop breast cancer during their lifetime, compared to one in eight women.

The ACS also predicts that there will be 530 deaths from breast cancer in men this year, compared to 43,170 from cancer in women.

The mortality rate in men is 0.3 per 100,000 men, compared to 19.1 per 100,000 women.

Although the rate of breast cancer in men is low compared to women, black men are at much higher risk and are diagnosed with cancer 52 percent more often than white men.

The mortality rate from breast cancer in men is also higher in this group, at 0.5 deaths per 100,000.

Mr. George, a stand-up comedian, said in a Facebook post last month that he was “feeling pretty good” after his surgery and will undergo radiation and “related medical treatments.”

In the post, he also drew attention to male breast cancer and raised awareness.

He wrote: ‘Now comes the most important public service announcement: one in 800 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, much less often than women, but ironically it is partly due to the relatively low incidence that has led to men Survival outcomes in breast cancer have not improved over the past thirty years, compared with improved outcomes for women.

“So gentlemen, that means paying attention to your bodies, especially the brothers out there: Black men are diagnosed with breast cancer at a 52% higher rate than white men. This also applies to (Mathew) Knowles – Beyoncé’s father – who also underwent a mastectomy.’

Mr Knowles, the father of pop superstar Beyonce Knowles, revealed in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with breast cancer following a mammogram and biopsy. The cancer was discovered when it was stage 1.

He underwent a mastectomy to remove his breast.

Mr George told Today: ‘I’m sure, like most men, when we have any thoughts about cancer we might think of lung cancer, if you’re a smoker, or prostate cancer.’

After his mastectomy and lymph node removal, Mr. George is preparing for radiation and possibly chemotherapy

Mr. George’s cancer journey began long before his diagnosis in August. About a year ago he noticed a mild irritation under his left nipple that he thought was ingrown chest hair.

He said: ‘It wasn’t a lump. It wasn’t something I was aware of on a daily basis. I noticed it every now and then when I was in the shower.’

One of the symptoms of breast cancer in men is redness or flaky skin on the breast or around the breast.

Other warning signs include nipple discharge, an inverted nipple, a lump or swelling in the breast, and irritation or dimpling in the breast skin.

Months later, Mr George mentioned his irritation to his GP in June, who initially thought it was a cyst and ordered an ultrasound.

A surgeon Mr George was referred to also thought it was a cyst, but ordered a mammogram to be sure.

Mr George told Today that a biopsy was then recommended.

He said: ‘I knew breast cancer happened in men. You know it’s rare and you say to yourself, “Wow, I hit the reverse lottery.”

“It’s obviously disturbing and troubling.”

After his mastectomy and lymph node removal, Mr. George is preparing for radiation and possibly chemotherapy.

Although genetic testing showed that Mr. George did not have the genetic mutations that predispose someone to breast cancer, he did have a family history: his mother had had the disease. And family history is a risk factor for developing cancer.

But now he’s speaking out to raise awareness of a little-discussed diagnosis and using his experience in his stand-up comedy routine.

“This experience certainly gives me a lot of material, even though technically I am working with much less material,” he says, pointing to his chest.

‘If you are a comedian, you want to act most often. However, the phase 2 time isn’t exactly what I was looking for.

Although his new material can be “a little dark,” Mr. George said, “I felt the need to express it — to share my truth.” Even in a comic setting.’