October Breast Cancer Awareness is for Men Too!

Many people are under the impression that October’s Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month is just for women. Wrong! Men also develop breast cancer and unfortunately, it is generally diagnosed much later than in women, making their chance for survival lower.
Everyone is born with some breast tissue, at puberty, this tissue continues to grow in females and does not in men. The existence of even a small amount of breast tissue makes breast cancer a possibility. In the most common form of male breast cancer, ductal carcinoma, symptoms generally include a thickening of breast tissue or formation of an apparent lump. Men often ignore this generally painless symptom, which allows the cancer to grow prior to diagnosis.
Men who have a family history of cancers such as breast, prostate, colon, ovarian may want to consider genetic counseling to evaluate whether genetic testing would be a good option. Men are affected by genetic mutations causing breast cancer just like women, in particular, BRCA2 is a gene that if mutated can elevate risk for breast, prostate, melanoma, and pancreatic cancers in men. Because men tend to be diagnosed later, the benefit of knowing about a BRCA2 mutation allows men to be proactive, taking charge of their health and potentially diminish their chance of a breast cancer diagnosis.
Taking the Family Cancer History Quiz is the first step in determining whether you or anyone in your family may be at elevated risk for breast cancer: https://www.hereditarycancerquiz.com/hereditary1
October is the perfect time to take charge of your health and empower yourself and your family with knowledge about your genetic cancer predisposition.