Medical experts are urging men to be aware that breast cancer is not limited to women, although men are 100 times less likely to develop the disease than women. Dr. Michelle Owens of the University of Mississippi Medical Center says both sexes can develop a fixed, firm, and non-painful lump or mass in the breast area.
"The thing that makes it challenging in the male population is that many men either don't do breast exams, or when they notice it, they might attribute it to something else like 'Oh, it's an infection' or they may just think 'It's just a lump or nodule or something. Surely it will go away'," says Owens.
That was not the case for Enos Catchings who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. He says he immediately knew the lump he felt in his chest area was not normal.
" Every time I would take a bath, I would rub that area and it would hurt real bad. It was sort-of a small mass there," Catchings says.
Catchings says he advises more men to be cautious and unashamed of any unusual characteristics around their chest area.
"If you feel something abnormal, go to the doctor. I would let them know, that's I did. Early detection means a lot on saving your life," says Catchings.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States this year, and an estimated 2,300 new cases will be diagnosed in men.
