Editor, Times-Union: Since men rarely go to the doctor, this letter to the editor is for women – mothers, sisters, wives or companions to say men can get breast cancer. The American Cancer Society estimated that over 2,200 men developed breast cancer in 2013. Men should not take this diagnosis lightly, it can be deadly as breast cancer in women. Some of the factors that ACS has developed over the years for male breast cancer: 1. Age – The average age is 68 – the risk will increase with age. 2. Alcohol and liver disease – heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk – with liver disease tend to have higher levels of estrogen. 3. Family history – ACS discovered that over 20 percent of men with breast cancer has had a blood relative with breast cancer. 4. Inherited gene mutations – Men may have a mutation of BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEKZ or PTEN gene that could increase their risk. 5. Obesity – Researchers have found a link with fat cells in the body – where the cell converts male hormones to female hormones, which in turns produces a higher level of estrogen. Please, don’t let your loved one become another statistic, get him checked. Paul Fribley Warsaw
