Male Breast Cancer In The Spotlight After Beyonce's Father Reveals Stunning Diagnosis
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – There was a stunning revelation from Beyonce's father about his health.
Mathew Knowles announced Wednesday that he has been treated for breast cancer.
While that may sound surprising, CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez tells us that men can and do get breast cancer.
It's rare, but not so much that men can ignore it. About one in a hundred cases of breast cancer will be found in men.
That works out to about 2,000 men with breast cancer every year in the U.S.
The first sign for Mathew Knowles was little drops of blood from his nipple.
"I too am a survivor of breast cancer," Knowles told Michael Strahan of "Good Morning America."
It started two months ago when Knowles noticed a little blood even though he hadn't been scratched or injured.
That led to an analysis of the discharge from his breast, a mammogram, and the breast cancer diagnosis.
While that was surprising to many, the chief of breast surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital says Knowles' case is pretty typical for male breast cancer.
Dr. Lauren Cassell says that the treatment for male breast cancer is virtually identical to that for women – surgery, radiation, and often chemo.
The survival rates are also the same for similar stages, although male breast cancer is often found at a more advanced stage because men and their doctors often don't think of breast cancer when these signs and symptoms are found.
Dr. Cassell also says it's unlikely men are going to do monthly breast exam the way women are urged to do.
She does say if men find those signs, see your doctor and suggest cancer.
Knowles was tested and in fact does have one of the breast cancer genes that also puts him at increased risk for prostate and pancreatic cancer.