Doctors, speaking as part of activities to commemorate the Breast Cancer Awareness Month celebrated globally in October of every year, said that if breast cancer among men was not detected early it could spread to other parts of the body.
Ogugua Osi-Ogbu, a physician at the National Hospital Abuja, said that breast cancer, which begins in the breast tissue, requires regular body check-up for early detection and treatment.
“If you have a family member who has had breast cancer, your chances of developing breast cancer would be higher,” she said. “Alcohol and tobacco, also known as casino genes, could cause change in normal cells to become cancerous in the body. People who indulge in excessive intake of alcohol and tobacco are at increased risk of cancers which is capable of shortening their life span.
We talk about breast cancer mainly in women but we do see breast cancer in men as well because they also have breast issue. It is just not as common as what we find in women; in women we are finding more and more cases that are coming at a late stage, especially in this environment. People are not in the habit of doing self-check or even the yearly check that we recommend. For the men, you can examine your breast; if you want to do it once a month or once in a week as you are dressing up, take a quick glance on your breast, does anything look different?”
Osi-Ogbu noted that lack of awareness on breast cancer among men hindered the self-examination practice and suggested the establishment of a law to earmark international health days to proffer solution. “Being able to showcase men who have actually had breast cancer would be one very good strategy to sensitise people to the need to imbibe good health practice and ensure healthy citizenry,” she said.
On his part, Louis Obak, a surgeon at the Garki Hospital in the FCT, said that only 10 out of 100 men can survive the consequences of having the disease.
He said that people who were obese are more prone to having breast cancer than those who were not; ad advised men to always imbibe the practice of breast check examination.
“Men, when they hear breast cancer, don’t even want to pay attention,” he said. “What a woman discovers early in the breast, a man might not clearly discover that change in breast. A woman can once in a while squeeze her nipple to see if something is coming out but men don’t do that. Those that are obese might get the chance of coming down with the disease because they don’t check it.”
Osi-Ogbu noted that lack of awareness on breast cancer among men hindered the self-examination practice and suggested the establishment of a law to earmark international health days to proffer solution. “Being able to showcase men who have actually had breast cancer would be one very good strategy to sensitise people to the need to imbibe good health practice and ensure healthy citizenry,” she said.
On his part, Louis Obak, a surgeon at the Garki Hospital in the FCT, said that only 10 out of 100 men can survive the consequences of having the disease.
He said that people who were obese are more prone to having breast cancer than those who were not; ad advised men to always imbibe the practice of breast check examination.
“Men, when they hear breast cancer, don’t even want to pay attention,” he said. “What a woman discovers early in the breast, a man might not clearly discover that change in breast. A woman can once in a while squeeze her nipple to see if something is coming out but men don’t do that. Those that are obese might get the chance of coming down with the disease because they don’t check it.”
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