He does not remember exactly when, but he knows that it was in the course of 2016, when a lump was detected on the left nipple. “It was something small, like a hardness“, described Facundo García.
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“One does not give a ball, especially being a male. I thought it was something like a bar and at one point, I tried to squeeze it. It was the worst thing I could do. I let myself be, “acknowledged this 46-year-old man.
His partner began to search the internet and in parallel, García hastened a consultation with a specialist. In December 2019, after a puncture, they detected breast cancer. “I was already half advanced, I had made a micrometastasis. A month later, they did a mastectomy in which they took out my left breast and the lymph nodes,” he said.
Of the 21,000 cases of breast cancer that are detected annually in Argentina, 1% corresponds to men, which represents about 210 cases per year. The number is not alarming, but since there is not enough awareness about the existence of these types of cases, the diagnosis usually comes late.
“The perception is: how can you get breast cancer if you do not have breasts? In men there is a very small remnant tissue, but there is the possibility of developing breast cancer (although it is rare)”, explained the mastologist Marcelo Puig Lomez, director of the Mastology Unit of the Intecnus Foundation.
Is detected 1 case of breast cancer in men, out of 100 in women. In his 30-year career, this doctor treated 8 cases.
The appearance of this pathology is usually later in men than in women. Although the prevalence is in those over 60 years of age, cases may appear at a younger age.
“The appearance of a lump, changes in the nipple or areola, secretions or alterations in the skin are the signs that alarm and lead a man to the consultation,” said Puig Lomez, who is also a full member of the Argentine Society of Mastology (SAM).
As the cases of breast cancer in men are of low incidence, the mammography protocol is not indicated. For this reason, the cases usually arrive more advanced to the medical consultation.
“Men are more likely to die from a heart attack than from breast cancer. But the idea is to make them aware that, in the presence of a lump, changes in the areola or nipple, or discharge, they should consult a mastologist to rule out an oncological lesion, “he said.
Risk factor’s
Facundo considered that “the stress in Buenos Aires caused the illness”. He has lived in Bariloche for 25 years, but in between, he spent three years in Buenos Aires in order for his partner to finish his studies.
“The lump began to grow until it was already showing. When they gave me the diagnosis, I didn’t like it at all. It is a kick and the head plays you very against, “he assured.
She found the cannabis oil treatment to deal with chemotherapy fabulous. “I started taking it as soon as the cancer was detected. The doctor told me it was an option. I never had vomiting or retching. And the oncologist had warned me that, as I was young, skinny and strong, I was going to attack him with everything and it was going to be complicated, “he said.
Puig Lomez stressed that “there are several risk factors for breast cancer in men, such as exposure to estrogens and family history.” The specialist recalled that, “gender transitions cause many men to use female hormones and that increases the risk. Hormones stimulate breast tissue and increase the possibility of breast cancer, “he specified.
He expressed, on the other hand, that “the more direct the family history of breast cancer, the stronger the risk. And the younger they had cancer, either my mother or my grandmother, the risk is greater than if they had had it. at 60 “.
The cirrhosis and obesity are other risk factors. In addition, between 10 and 20% of patients suffer from a specific mutation on chromosome 18 that codes for their breast cancer.
Men and women, same treatment
Breast cancer treatments are the same for men and women. By depending on the type of tumor and its size at the time it is diagnosed, they are individualized according to each patient.
“An early diagnosis of breast cancer in men or women has an excellent prognosis. And when we fail to detect it early, we have multiple therapeutic tools to solve it and high chances of a cure,” said Puig Lomez.
After arduous treatment in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Facundo achieved medical discharge in November 2020, although he does not neglect his periodic controls. “It is not something at all common. And it is still a gynecological problem. In fact, you are going to attend the Women’s Center, all the women look at you and you leave with a pink folder. For a woman it is somewhat tortuous, imagine for a man. Today, I keep telling my friends to have a mammogram, to touch their breasts as a control, “he said.
In so many years of experience, Puig Lómez said that there is usually no surprise in this type of diagnosis. “When a man comes to the consultation, he already suspects that he may have cancer. And for those who confirm the diagnosis, it is a very strong blow because of the impact that the word has. It scares because it is associated with death, but, in reality, not it is like that, “he said.
In the first days of October, the month of breast cancer awareness, the Intecnus Foundation announced the launch of a Mastology Unit. Puig Lomez clarified that it is the first of its kind in the region.
It is made up of “a transdisciplinary team to tackle breast pathologies jointly, from all angles that can be addressed”.
“A Mastology Unit has a mastologist, oncologist, clinician, breast imaging specialists, radiotherapists, psychologists, specialists in rehabilitation associated with breast surgery. It is a benefit that the patient is approached by a medical team. The case is discussed in a committee“, he highlighted.
