Most people live under the wrong impression that only women suffer the fearful breast cancer, even though medical experts have repeatedly warned that men may also develop this type of cancer. Moreover, due to the fact that men are ignorant about this aspect and do not visit the doctor to be checked on risks of breast cancer, a larger percent of breast cancer male patients die from the condition as compared to female patients.

Dr Sally Phillips, Chief Medical Officer of Discovery Life has recently re-newed warnings about men who may develop breast cancer and urged them to become more aware of the risks of the appalling condition. She stated:

"A lot of ignorance exists about the condition in men and it's often fatal. For example, in the US, 19 percent of females diagnosed with breast cancer will die and 27 percent of males, mostly due to late diagnosis. Not much data is available in South Africa, but the experience here will be similar. But because many men are often too embarrassed to go to a doctor with a breast lump, diagnosis is made more frequently in the later, rather than earlier stages."

Usually, men do not want to go and have their breast checked out because they think that the condition can only affect women or they feel somehow ashamed about this action. But they should think about their health and life first and secondly about what the others would think about them. It is true that surveys show that breast cancer is more popular among women, but the condition kills more men than women because of late diagnosis. Breast cancer can be treated and its symptoms eased if it is tracked down at an earlier stage.

"Men should not hesitate in going to be checked out if they have symptoms such as nipple discharge (often bloody), nipple inversion, a breast lump or an itching or a pulling sensation in the breast," went on Dr. Phillips.

"The main problem males face when being diagnosed with breast cancer is often not the cancer itself, but rather the embarrassment of the type of cancer, which leads to isolation and more psychological problems than in females. But there is no need for men to feel awkward about it, it's increasingly being talked about and there's no sense in ignoring symptoms that could be life threatening", she concluded.