Male breast cancer–going for a mammogram–what should I expect?
Friday, February 26th, 2010 at
6:47 pm
CommanderCrusty asked:
I have a suspicious lump under one nipple and my doctor is sending me for a mammogram. I’d like to hear from other men who have been through this. Also, if it is “breast” cancer, what should I expect? I did seek treatment within one week of finding the lump. I do not have a skin rash or discharge from the nipple. I am age 48, normal body weight, and no I don’t have “man boobs” or smoke.
I have a suspicious lump under one nipple and my doctor is sending me for a mammogram. I’d like to hear from other men who have been through this. Also, if it is “breast” cancer, what should I expect? I did seek treatment within one week of finding the lump. I do not have a skin rash or discharge from the nipple. I am age 48, normal body weight, and no I don’t have “man boobs” or smoke.
PS
Let’s keep the jokes to a minimum, please.
Tagged with: Breast Cancer • Mammogram • Man Boobs
Filed under: Breast Cancer
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I believe guys can get breast cancer only of thay suffer from gynoclomasty- whihc is breast tissue in men. Cancer does not have a discharge nor can you feel cancer. Relax it may be that a blood vessel bust happened to me ended me in the hospital for 5 days back in january b/c it turned into a staff infection.
I’m not a man, but as a small-breasted female, I can tell you the mammogram will be a bit uncomfortable. They grab you (gently, mind you) and try to squish all your tissue between the collarbone and the bottom of the breast onto the bottom plate, then the top plate is lowered to compress the tissue as much as possible. Just **** it in and bear it. They have to compress the tissue to get clear pictures. Your face is pushed up against the equipment and it seems like it’s going to go on forever. But it’s over pretty quickly. Often they take more than 2 views if you’re imaging a suspicious area, so they can zoom in and enlarge the pictures.
If the mammograms don’t resolve the matter, they will either recommend an ultrasound, which can distinguish between cysts and tumors, or a biopsy, which kind of is the final test to see if the lump is cancerous.
If it is, you’ll have lots more questions, so come back and ask them when the results are in.
And try not to worry. Even in women, most lumps are not cancer.
And don’t worry about jokes. Anyone who does it here is an idiot, and the medical people will treat you with respect and dignity, as they would anyone else.
Not much to add to Inverse’s excellent answer; just that has a section specifically for men on their forums, and you’re likely to find more men with experience of mammograms there.
Good luck
Inverses’ answer is very good and while I don’t have much to add, there is a website,, that might have some information of interest.
I know several men who are breast cancer survivors. You won’t be getting jokes from us about it!
Good luck….. God bless you!
Hello,
Sorry to hear about your lump. Not all of them are breast cancer, but you will likely be referred to a surgeon who will examine you and possibly perform a biopsy. If the biopsy shows cancer, the surgeon will likely recommend a larger scale operation to more adequately remove the lump. Then you would be evaluated for possible chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
I am a mammographer. Been doing mammograms for 31 years.
I do about a dozen “man-o-grams” a year.
If I remember the statistics, of the tens of thousands of women with breast cancer each year, under 700 are men.
The mammogram is the same for men as women. Your pecs are pulled in between two plates and pictures are taken: a couple each side.
You are doing perfectly by seeing a doc right away.
A surgeon may biopsy the lump to check it for cancer, and treatment for breast cancer in the male is the same for women: axillary lymph biopsy then a treatment plan that may or may not include chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.