YES....it can happen to us GUYS!!! ARRRGGHHHHHH 
Faster check your mi mi for that dreadful lump NOW!!!
See illustration below!!! Sorie...i can't find a picture of a
guy checking his own mi mi....so just pretend!!! ...now lift those
arm 1st.....move in a circular motion....feeling for that
lump...yes.....that's it....slowly......NO! NO!.....NOT THAT!!
That's your nipples!!!
THE MEN DO GET IT
-----------------
Guys, don't be shy about it - early detection and treatment
of male
breast cancer improves the chances of cure
Eveline Gan
[email protected]
When Zulkifli Sarmani found some discharge from his left nipple, he
didn't
think much of it.
His wife, realising that something was amiss, nagged at him to see
a
doctor. He did, and the diagnosis: Breast cancer.
Understandably, Zulkifli was astonished. "I had a shock. I never
thought
I'd get this disease," said the 50-year-old clerk.
Though extremely rare, breast cancer can also occur in men, as
in
Zulkifli's case.
Less than 1 per cent of all breast cancer victims worldwide are
men.
According to data from the Singapore Cancer Registry, about 22 men
here
were diagnosed with breast cancer from 1998 to 2002.
"Breast cancer isn't just a woman's disease. Men also have breast
tissue
that can undergo cancerous changes," said Dr Tan Su-Ming,
chief and
senior consultant surgeon of the department of general surgery at
Changi
General Hospital, who spoke about breast cancer myths at the
SingHealth
Signature Women's Forum on April 19.
Age is one of the risk factors. Breast cancer in men occurs most
commonly
between the ages of 60 and 70. Family history, abnormal genes and
exposure
to radiation may also increase the risk.
Men who are obese may also be at a higher risk of breast
cancer.
"This is because of the increase in the fat cells in the body. Fat
cells
convert androgens into estrogen, increasing the amount of estrogen
and
therefore, the risk of breast cancer," Dr Tan explained.
Studies have also shown that liver disease, exposure to
estrogen-related
drugs - such as those used in a sex change procedure - and a rare
genetic
condition called Klinefelter's syndrome may also increase the risk
of male
breast cancer.
Symptoms for male breast cancer are generally similar to those in a
female
patient. They include visible lumps, nipple discharge, skin
dimpling and
nipple retraction (when the nipple turns inward).
However, Dr Tan added: "In men, the cancer tends to be close to the
chest
wall because there is so little breast tissue. Hence, mastectomy
(removal
of the whole breast) is the most common operation."
Survival rates for both men and women - depending on the stage of
the
cancer - are similar, said Dr Yong Wei Sean, senior consultant of
the
department of surgical oncology at the National Cancer Centre
Singapore.
"Early detection and treatment improves the chances of cure," he
added.
But a major problem with breast cancer in men is that it is
often
diagnosed in its advanced stages.
Explained Dr Yong: "Men feel shy about it. Also, they do not think
that
they can get breast cancer. Therefore, it is often diagnosed later
when
the cancer is more advanced."
By the time Zulkifli was diagnosed, for instance, the cancer was
already
in its third stage. Thankfully, two years after his diagnosis,
Zulkifli is
on the road to recovery, although the treatment was a nightmare: He
had to
undergo a mastectomy, then bear with eight excruciating rounds
of
chemotherapy and 20 rounds of radiotherapy.
"I lost all my hair (after the chemotherapy), but that can be
replaced.
I'm just happy that I'm getting better day by day," said Zulkifli,
who is
currently in remission and hopes to be completely free from cancer
in a
few years' time. Need help?
You can call the Cancer Helpline at 6225 5655 if you need more
information
about breast cancer. The private, confidential and anonymous
one-to-one
information and counselling service is manned by specially trained
nurse
counsellors. The helpline is available from 8.30am to 5pm from
Mondays to
Fridays, and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.
