As Breast Cancer Awareness Month Comes To An End, Don’t Forget The Men

All throughout the month of October we have shared stories with you about Breast Cancer. We've seen the football players wear pink cleats and pink gloves, the baseball players had pink bats and many high school and youth teams had pink fundraisers. One section of the population is often over looked during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that is, men!

Fox News recently ran a story about Harvey Singer, a man who  was spending the day out with his buddies when one of them gave him a bear hug and he felt pain that shot from his breast to his shoulder. The next day, his doctor diagnosed him with breast cancer.

An estimated 2,360 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. this year, and 430 men are predicted to die from it.

Dr. Troy Shell of Emory University says, “Breast cancer is not exclusive to women. Men can certainly develop breast cancer and many men are not aware of that.”

The risk factors include age, poor diet, alcohol consumption, obesity, liver disease, radiation exposure and a family history of breast cancer. Hormone levels can also affect the risk of breast cancer in men, particularly if men produce a significant amount of estrogen. If you face any of these risks, it is important to discuss them with a doctor.