Men ‘dying needlessly’ from breast cancer

British men are dying needlessly from breast cancer because they do not know the symptoms to look for or are too embarrassed to seek help, a leading medical expert has said.

Professor Ian Fentiman says half of all male patients are not diagnosed until their cancer is very advanced because they do not seek help early enough.

He says around 250 men are diagnosed with the disease every year in the UK, of which 70 die from it.

The Guy’s Hospital, London, expert wrote in an article for medical journal the Lancet that early diagnosis of the disease can give men a 75 to 100 per cent chance of making a full recovery, but that this drops to 30 per cent if the disease is allowed to advance.

Professor Fentiman said: “There is evident need for national protocols for both information and support for men diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Common signs of the disease are a painless lump in the breast area or an inwardly-turned nipple. Risk from the disease increases in men who are older and are overweight.

In his research, Professor Fentiman found that male patients felt they needed more sex-specific information on male breast cancer, as well as additional support.

He said men also complained of lack of information and emotional support.

Liz Carroll, head of clinical services for Breast Cancer Care, said: “This report is an important addition to the evidence that men may be dying from breast cancer due to their lack of awareness that breast cancer can affect them as well as women.”

“Professor Fentiman rightly points out that much more must be done to ensure information and help is getting through,” she added.

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