But men are not immune to breast cancer. Yes, it may be rare, but it happens. The same organization noted that one out of 1,000 men develops breast cancer.
One of them is Ernesto Petil.
It all started with just a "mere insect bite." Little did he know then that it was the first sign of breast cancer.
"Iyong pagkaalam ko, kinagat lang ng ipis or whatever na insekto. Pinabayaan ko pa rin. Hanggang noong napapansin ko nagkaka-kulani na sa may kili-kili," he said in a report on GMA News TV's "News To Go" on Wednesday.
However, Petil was not surprised when the doctor confirmed that he had breast cancer. It was in his genes. His sisters also suffered from the disease. In 2013, the mass was removed from his chest.
But it has already spread to his lungs and brain. This means he needs another series of treatments.
"Kung may nagmamagandang loob na nanawagan ako. Kailanga ko kasi ang medication kasi nasabi sa akin na ang chemotherapy, sabi sa akin ng doktor, isang milyon," he added.
According to the American Cancer Society, since men have breast tissue, they can also develop breast cancer.
Although breast cancer is common among women, men may only learn they have the disease at a later stage. Lack of awareness is one of the reasons why.
Just like Petil, many men may ignore possible warning signs such as lumps and changes in their chest. This could delay diagnosis, the American Cancer Soceity said. Thus, the mass will have a chance to grow.
Here are some signs of breast cancer in men:
A lump or swelling, usually (but not always) painless
Skin dimpling or puckering
Nipple retraction (turning inward)
Redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin
Discharge from the nipple
A breast cancer may also spread to lymph nodes under the arm or around the collar bone and cause a lump or swelling.
"Sa lalaki kasi hindi siya common so parang walang recommended screenings for males. Ang lalaki wala namang breast eh. So kung may tutubo sa chest wall nila, makakapa nila agad-agad," oncologist Dr. Ma. Cecilia Pagdanganan pointed out.
Women should still be alarmed
Although breast cancer do exist in men, women are still the main targets of the disease. In fact, breast cancer is so common in women that most, if not all, studies into the causes, prevention, and treatment of the disease are done with women as case studies.
Hurdling out of breast cancer has never been easy. To help others who are battling this disease, breast cancer survivor Christina Terado has been teaching arts and crafts to those undergoing chemotherapy.
"Nagdasal ako para bibigyan ako ng gabay na mapapagtutuunan ko ng pansin para hindi ko maisip ang sakit ko. Nagtuturo na ako sa cancer patients and iba pang grupo kasi nagiging creative kami at saka positibo kami sa buhay," she said.
Pagdanganan recommended women to undergo a mammogram every other year when they hit 40 years of age until they turn 49 years old—even when they don't see any warning signs.
And when cancer hits, Terado has some words of courage: "Kailangan talagang lumaban ka." — Trisha Macas/BM, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
