I’m proof MEN can get breast most cancers

When David McCallion was informed that the swelling in his breasts was innocent and a beauty drawback, he felt reassured. 

Five years later, nonetheless, the 59-year-old found he was one in every of a tiny fraction of British males who’re identified with a illness that sometimes strikes girls — breast most cancers.

The most cancers has now unfold to different components of the father-of-two’s physique, which means the illness has entered its secondary phases. 

But in distinction to the assist given to girls battling breast most cancers, Mr McCallion claims he confronted a wall of silence, with pals of 30 years crossing the highway to keep away from speaking in regards to the predominantly ‘feminine’ illness.

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr McCallion has got down to change folks’s perceptions of breast most cancers.

Men with the illness shouldn’t be pressured to dwell in ‘heartbreaking’ silence by means of their ordeal, he mentioned. 

His breast points began again in 2014.

After noticing an uncommon swelling, Mr McCallion went to his GP who reassured him he had gynaecomastia.

Sometimes known as ‘man boobs’, gynaecomastia is a standard situation that causes males’s breasts to swell, changing into bigger than standard because of this.

It is attributable to a hormonal imbalance however, other than inflicting beauty considerations, is innocent.

However, whereas not thought-about to be immediately linked to breast most cancers, gynaecomastia shares a symptom — inflicting bodily adjustments to breast tissue.  

Mr McCallion, who lives in Oldham along with his spouse Julie, realized about tell-tale indicators of breast most cancers in males at the moment.

In 2019, he developed a trademark symptom of the illness — his nipple had turn into inverted. 

He went straight to his GP and, inside weeks, was identified with stage three breast most cancers. This means the most cancers is especially massive and has began to unfold to surrounding tissue.

Medics informed him he had invasive ductal carcinoma, a sub-type of breast most cancers that begins within the breast ducts. 

Mr McCallion had a mastectomy, surgical procedure to take away his proper breast. 

Breast most cancers in males is uncommon, with solely 370 males identified every year within the UK. 

That is in comparison with 55,500 instances in girls, in response to information from charity Breast Cancer Now. 

In the US, an estimated one in each 100 breast cancers identified is present in males. 

Mr McCallion mentioned: ‘When I used to be informed it was clearly a little bit of a shock, however much less of a shock as a result of I had three weeks ready for the outcomes of the biopsy, I had already received it in my head that it was undoubtedly most cancers.

‘Because I had that gynecomastia difficulty years earlier than, I knew males might get breast most cancers. 

‘I additionally knew my mom had had breast most cancers and a sister had ductal carcinoma in situ. It was within the household. So, I used to be conscious that this might be doubtlessly critical.’

But it wasn’t only a most cancers prognosis ex-social care employee Mr McCallion was coping with. Due to council finances cuts, his employer was dissolved and he was made redundant.  

He began chemo in December 2019 and was shocked to search out his hair already falling out on Christmas Eve. 

‘I awoke on Christmas eve, went to the toilet, and simply touched the highest of my head, and all the highest of my hair fell out,’ he mentioned. 

Worried he would ‘scare’ his grandchildren he determined to shave his head earlier than Christmas Day and made a ‘joke’ out of it, telling his grandchildren he ‘had made a foolish mistake’. 

‘It was fairly dramatic that it occurred on that day of all days,’ Mr McCallion mentioned. 

But he wasn’t the one member of his household who had been identified with most cancers.  

He mentioned: ‘At the identical time my sister in regulation had been identified with small cell lung most cancers on the day I used to be having my auxiliary lymph clearance in the identical hospital. So, most of us had no hair on Christmas. 

‘Literally months after {that a} cousin in Ireland had the identical breast most cancers as me. We had all these folks on a journey on the similar time.’

Due to the Covid pandemic, his closing spherical of chemotherapy was cancelled and he waited till June 2020 to start out radiotherapy. 

In January 2022, Mr McCallion had a genetic check which revealed he had an altered gene that made it extra doubtless for him to get breast most cancers. 

To scale back the danger of his most cancers returning, he additionally had the breast tissue on the left facet of his chest eliminated by mastectomy. 

For a couple of 12 months ‘life was going swimmingly’ for Mr McCallion, however in December 2023 he caught Covid and though he recovered inside a month he nonetheless felt out of breath.

At a routine check-up he talked about to the nurse that he had been feeling breathless, however that he could not get an appointment.

A nurse noticed him later that day and he was referred to get an X-Ray. Doctors discovered two suspicious growths on his proper lung and 4 small ones on his left.

Tests later confirmed it was a secondary breast most cancers — the place the illness spreads to a different a part of the physique. 

Secondary breast most cancers mostly spreads to the liver, mind, bones and, as in Mr McCallion’s case, the lungs.

‘I knew whereas we have been at my youngest son’s stag try this I may need stage 4 most cancers. I could not say something to my household,’ he mentioned. 

He needed to bottle up the devastating information till his son was again from his honeymoon. 

In July 2023, he began focused remedy, which is designed to search out and assault most cancers cells. 

He additionally began hormone therapies, that are used to deal with cancers that use hormones to develop which incorporates breast most cancers. 

But initially, Mr McCallion discovered it arduous to speak about his expertise with breast most cancers with anybody however his household.

‘I’ve recognized folks for over 30 years who cross the highway to keep away from talking to me,’ he mentioned.

‘When I used to be identified in 2019, since then, I’ve little or no contact with anyone that was there earlier than that. 

‘So to a level, I misplaced every thing. I misplaced my job, I used to be made redundant and now nobody desires to make use of somebody with such well being data.’

‘But I have never received the time in my day, to sit down there worrying anymore about what different folks suppose and why they walked out. These folks in all probability did not have the language or training to speak about it,’ he added.

Mr McCallion was finally put in contact with one other man with breast most cancers, thorough a scheme by charity  Breast Cancer Now, permitting him to lastly open up with another person. 

‘When I used to be speaking to this man, it was fantastic as a result of he’d ring me each week, simply we’d discuss something, not essentially the most cancers,’ he mentioned. 

With most breast most cancers assist directed at girls, Mr McCallion mentioned many males ‘hit a pink wall’ and ‘flip off’. 

Although he admits girls needs to be getting essentially the most assist, as a result of the illness largely impacts them, he finds it ‘arduous’ from a male perspective.

‘I’d hate to suppose males that males who do get identified with it, simply put their shirt again on and inform no person,’ he mentioned. 

‘That can be terrible. To undergo all of it and by no means actually discuss it apart from clearly, shut kin household. I discover it heartbreaking.’

Mr McCallion now ceaselessly offers talks and helps quite a few causes aiming to assist each women and men dwelling with breast most cancers.

However, he nonetheless encounters an enormous lack of understanding that males may even get the illness.  

‘People say how will you have breast most cancers, you have not received breast. So, I remind them you do have breast tissue. Women have much more, however all of us have breast tissue, subsequently you may get breast most cancers,’ he mentioned. 

He added: ‘I really feel now that serving to males to type of discuss issues that they would not usually discuss, is one thing I really feel compelled to do. It helps them and helps me too.’

Mr McCallion urges folks to not self diagnose in the event that they discover something irregular on their physique and go straight to the GP as an alternative.  

He mentioned: ‘I feel the message is to everyone, male or feminine, is for those who discover any completely different change in your physique, in any way, that is not your regular. Go to the docs instantly. Don’t second guess or Google it.’