View Confronting a Genetic Legacy. Discuss in a short essay either why breast cancer is not discussed for men or the choice of radical mastectomy as a preventative measure.
Breast cancer is a real disease, it affects real people, many whom live normal lives, and like many diseases, it does not discriminate in who it affects. In today’s world, we hear about breast cancer often, in magazines, television shows, even famous celebrities take up campaigns to raise awareness for the disease and hold events to fund research for a cure. Yet the public image of breast cancer we see is incomplete, one sided if you will. Still not convinced, what exactly comes to mind when you think of breast cancer? Well, when one asks Google images search, the first two pictures are pink ribbons, the next three female breasts and then an unending sea of “boobies and pink everything”. To many, this would seem like a concise vignette, yet this image is incredibly one-sided, especially to the scrutiny of anyone with some gender studies or sociology experience. What is missing from this picture, are the voices of the countless men who suffer and have to live with the reality of breast cancer.
Male breast cancer is very real, it is a weight on the lives of the men it affects, just as much so as it is to the many women it affects also. Confronting a Genetic Legacy focuses largely on the women affected by breast cancer, and it is not the first nor will it be the last portrayal on effects of breast cancer which excludes men from the picture. The occurrence of breast cancer in men is not a newly discovered medical phenomenon, in fact, it has been referenced on Egyptian papyrus which dates back from 3000-2500 BCE. The first clinical report was described back in the 14th century by John of Arderne. Statistically speaking, men are technically less likely to develop cancer in the breast tissue versus another part of the body, but this still does not explain the near-invisible reality of male breast cancer. Male occurrences of breast cancer account for about 1% of all breast cancer cases, but the incidence of these occurrences have been increasing for the last decade and a half. Although instances of breast cancer in both sexes have many similarities, men typically have BRCA2 rather than BRCA1 mutations. Genetic risk factors include Klinefelter syndrome and gonadal dysfunction; additionally environmental factors suchas high temperature environments, exhaust fumes, excess alcohol, or exposure to radiation all increase the risk of occurrence.
To emphasize my point, consider this: many men when asked about their perceived risk for breast cancer responded as such: None… clearly reality is being warped somehow. Breast cancer is actually more deadly of an assassin for the men it targets in many cases. Presentation is usually a painless lump, but is often late, with more than 40% of individuals having a stage III or IV disease. What is at work here are the socially constructed boundaries which divide gender and sex. Masculinity is constructed, not only relative to, but in opposition of femininity; In this way, many academics concur that our dominant notion of masculinity is, in part, defined as that which is not feminine. Following this logic, one could see that one of the main differences which exists, phenotypically speaking, between men and women are breasts. Sociologists have long observed that many of the epithets which adolescents use amongst themselves are gender based. Common slurs boys use include: wimp, sissy, faggot, pussy, or Nancy boy.
Many of these insults are harassments based on behavior, but boys are also teased for physical differences. Overweight children, in particular, are the object of much ridicule and often teased. Having been obese at one point in my childhood, I personally am familiar with this reality. A common insult which many such boys are teased with is allegedly “having boobies”, which creates a notion that males are biologically different than females in that they are not supposed to have breasts. This though is a tragically flawed misconception, because while it is true that males do not have breast tissue as developed as females, they still do have breast tissue and like any other tissue, there is always a risk for the cells to become cancerous. Because of this notion, it is imperative that together as a society, with activists and the medical community included, a reevaluation of our perceptions of the male breast occur, and a social movement birthed; I can already picture it across bumper stickers and t-shirts alike: I ¤ MANBOOBS!
References
Fentiman, Ian S., Alain Fourquet, and Gabriel N. Hortobagyi. “Male Breast Cancer”. The Lancet. Volume 367, Issue 9510, 595-604. 18 February, 2006. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68226-3. Web.
Gómez-Gaposo, César, Francisco Zambrana Tévar, María Sereno Moyano, Miriam López Gómez, Enrique Casado. “Male Breast Cancer”. Cancer Treatment Reviews. Volume 36, Issue 6, 451-457. October 2010 (Published online: 02 March 2010). Web.
Bernard-Marty, C, E. Azambuja, L. Dal Lago, M. J. Piccart, and F. Cardoso. “Male Breast Cancer”. Breast Cancer and Molecular Medicine. Part 14, 903-923, 2006. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-28266- 2_42
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