There is shocking news for all men – and women – especially the layman who thinks breast cancer, that devastating disease, affects only women.
The case of Mathew Knowles, father of superstar singer Beyonce, has proved this wrong.
he has been diagnosed of breast cancer, as revealed during an interview with Michael Strahan, as aired on ‘Good Morning America’ today, wednesday, October 2.
He revealed his diagnosis on the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month, which runs through October.
Although experts say breast cancer is rare among men – about one per cent – they insist it thus exists.
“Even though men don’t have breasts like women, they do have a small amount of breast tissue. The “breasts” of an adult man are similar to the breasts of a girl before puberty. In girls, this tissue grows and develops, but in men, it doesn’t,” says experts on webbed.com.
They add, “But because it is still breast tissue, men can get breast cancer. Men get the same types of breast cancers that women do, but cancers involving the parts that make and store milk are rare.
“Doctors used to think that breast cancer in men was more severe than it was in women, but it now seems that it’s about the same.
“The major problem is that breast cancer in men is often diagnosed later than breast cancer in women. This may be because men are less likely to be suspicious of something strange in that area. Also, their small amount of breast tissue is harder to feel, making it more difficult to catch these cancers early. It also means tumors can spread more quickly to surrounding tissues.”
The American Cancer Society also says, “Breast cancer occurs mainly in women, but men can get it, too. Many people do not realize that men have breast tissue and that they can develop breast cancer. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer and can spread to other areas.
“Breast cancer starts when cells in the breast begin to grow out of control. These cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. The tumor is malignant (cancer) if the cells can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body.
“Until puberty (on average around age 9 or 10), young boys and girls have a small amount of breast tissue consisting of a few ducts located under the nipple and areola (area around the nipple). At puberty, a girl’s ovaries make female hormones, causing breast ducts to grow and lobules to form at the ends of ducts. Even after puberty, boys and men normally have low levels of female hormones, and breast tissue doesn’t grow much. Men’s breast tissue has ducts, but only a few if any lobules.”
