Guest Story- A Male Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Five years ago, a tumor was discovered in the duct of my left nipple. The tumor stimulated the nipple duct to lactate and then discharge blood. Classified as benign, it was removed by a breast specialist in Brooklyn, NY.

I work as a musician and high school teacher. Recently, after doing errands and chores, I felt a sharp pain in the area of the nipple incision. The pain was followed by swelling and lasted a few days. At first I thought that I might have pulled something by lifting. The swelling went down but then a lump appeared.

I went back to the breast specialist I had seen five years earlier. The doctor believed that the area was of concern, so she ordered a sonogram in case it was something serious. During the sonogram, the technician excused herself to call a doctor to read the images. When a mammogram was performed right afterwards, I knew the news was not good, and a week later, after a biopsy, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, aged 51.

I decided to seek treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, NY. I was injected with radioactive isotopes to track my sentinel lymph nodes, and a few days later I underwent a left breast mastectomy, the removal of three lymph nodes, and a nipple sparing right breast mastectomy. I was released from hospital to recover at home, but was rushed back to Urgent Care, due to poor drainage of wounds.

Genetic tests have proved negative.

I was informed during my postoperative meeting with my physician that the pathology reports revealed that I had an invasive ductal carcinoma, stage 2A breast cancer, and there were two tumors. The cancer was in one place and it has not spread. I have been referred to a medical oncologist pending the results of further testing of the tumors. This final testing will determine the type or types of chemo that I will receive...

We'd like to thank Len for sharing his diagnosis and hope others find this helpful information.

Wishing Len an easy time with the treatment ahead but he knows HIS Breast Cancer Awareness is here to support him as needed.

Best of Health,