Men Get Breast Cancer Too!

Posted on October 03, 2017 by johk

"I would encourage all men to check themselves regularly and if they have any concern at all, they should go to see their GP. People shouldn’t be afraid to visit their GP – there is no such thing as a wasted appointment, it could potentially save their life.”

Six men who have all had breast cancer are telling their incredible stories this morning as a new survey shows more than half of men have never checked themselves for symptoms of breast cancer #MenGetBreastCancerToo! #BCAM

Six of our wonderful supporters who have all had breast cancer told their incredible stories as a new survey shows more than half of men have never checked themselves for symptoms of breast cancer #MenGetBreastCancerToo!

Three hundred and fifty* men a year are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK and 80* men die of the disease. However, the survey published by Walk the Walk, and carried out by YouGov, shows that while 82% of men are aware that they can get breast cancer, 54% of men have never checked their breasts for symptoms of the disease.

To raise awareness and encourage men to check themselves regularly, what was believed to be the largest group of men who have had breast cancer, ever to have gathered in the UK, shared their stories at a media event in London organised by Walk the Walk. Some of the men had never met another male breast cancer patient before.

Watch the short film >

Forty eight year-old Bryan Thorn from Port Talbot was one of the six men who met in London (on 3rd October). He was diagnosed with breast cancer three and a half years ago, at the age of 44. Following his diagnosis, Bryan took part in The MoonWalk London earlier this year to raise awareness.

Bryan said: “I noticed a lump when I was showering. I wasn’t checking my breast area, in fact, like many people, I didn’t even know men were supposed to check their breast area. Saying that, I wasn’t naive enough to think men couldn’t get breast cancer, but it wasn’t something you heard about. I would encourage all men to check themselves regularly and if they have any concern at all, they should go to see their GP. People shouldn’t be afraid to visit their GP – there is no such thing as a wasted appointment, it could potentially save their life.”

Nina Barough CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk said: “During the past 21 years Walk the Walk has been tireless in its passion for not only raising awareness, but its commitment to raising funds towards finding a cure for breast cancer. The MoonWalk, the original night time challenge, has made a significant impact in helping to raise awareness of the disease, as hundreds of thousands of women and men have united together in their challenge of power walking a marathon in decorated bras!"

The survey Walk the Walk commissioned from YouGov highlighted that while only 8% of British women never check their breasts, for men it is over 50% so whilst incidents of male breast cancer are much less than women, the cancer has often spread undetected, resulting in a much higher number of fatalities. Clearly, there is still a huge amount of work to be done, and why it is so important that this brave group of men are sharing their experiences to help save the lives of others.”

Crowd in pink tent at The MoonWalk London