
Dear Sir/madame,
I would like to draw your attention to what I experience as discrimintion against male breast cancer.
Recently a study was carried out by Kerry Quincey of Leicester university England of 31 male breast cancer survivors from Britain and America. All of those taking part had the same experiences. “We feel like either we do not exist or simply dont matter.”
Virtualy all the information about breast cancer and its treatment is directed at women. Not only are men dealing with breast cancer but also through the femenization of the disease by breast cancer charities ,cancer organisations and the media in general they also have to deal with the stigma of having “A womans disease.”
Breast cancer? But your a man! That means that there has to be something really wrong with us as men!
I looked at many breast cancer sites to find they stated that it is specifically for women with breast cancer . Considering the mortality rate for men is 6% higher than that of women there is something very moraly wrong with this.
It is ignorance that is killing men; simple ignorance! Men dont know they can get breast cancer because neither the charities, cancer organisations or media will tell them them they can get it.
When charities and orgaisations are challenged about this I am told that:- “Men do matter to us and that we fund research into male breast cancer”.
Exactly how much research will get a man to check his pects? A finger tip search is the ONLY chance a man has of detecting breast cancer in its early stages. By the time that the bleeding discharging nipples etc begin its usualy too late as it has already spread into the body..
The majority of men present at late stage three or sadly stage 4..This the reason for the 25% Mortality rate among us men
What can be done about this femenization of breast cancer? Most of the breast cancer organisations specify "women” But 0.9% of breast cancer cases is a man although breast cancer forms just 0.02% of male cancers
I will ask you three questions.
1, How many women are totaly unaware they can get breast cancer?
2, How many men are totaly unaware they can get breast cancer?
3, How many women are totaly unaware that men can get breast cancer?
What do the answers tell you?
There may be only some 400 men diagnosed in Britain per annum but of those 400. 100 will die because they were diagnosed too late. Those 100 are someones Husband, Father, Brother or Grandfather. So many times I have read “My Grandfather died of that when I was a little.” Since I was plunged into the World of male breast cancer. The media can make a change but by continiuing to present breast cancer as a womens disease they perpetuate the ignorance..
How do you stop men stop men dying needlessly from breast cancer ? Simply tell them they can get breast cancer so that they or their partners can check those pects. Anything else is really sexual discrimination and breast cancer as we know does not discriminate!
500 American. 100 British, 25 Dutch and 10 Swedish families will also learn this this year as they mourn their men
Yours. Alan Herbert