THANKFULLY, DISEASE IS NOT A METAPHOR

Surprise Role for Ex-Senator: Male Breast Cancer Survivor (LYNETTE CLEMETSON, 6/10/03, NY Times)

A loose-fitting shirt hid the scar and concave area that former Senator Edward W. Brooke spoke of as he moved his hand across the space from his right armpit to the center of his chest. In his 83 years, life has held plenty of unexpected turns for Mr. Brooke, the Massachusetts Republican who in 1966 became the first African-American elected to the United States Senate since Reconstruction.

But his current journey, Mr. Brooke said, has been among the most shocking.

"When the doctor told me," he said at his home on a horse and cattle farm 45 miles southwest of Washington, "all I could say was: `Me? Come on.' "

Last September, Mr. Brooke was told he had breast cancer. Less than two weeks later he underwent a double mastectomy. After struggling with how to share his experience with even his family and closest friends, he is now speaking publicly for the first time, to bring attention to a disease that many men assume they cannot get.

While breast cancer in men is rare, a higher percentage of men than women die of the disease because it is typically detected at a much later stage. All men have some breast tissue, even if it is not noticeable. The small amount of breast tissue that exists in men may be more apparent if it swells at puberty or later in life.

Cancer researchers estimate that breast cancer will be diagnosed in 1,500 men this year and that roughly 400 of them will eventually die of the illness. Of the approximately 211,000 new cases of breast cancer that will be diagnosed this year in women, an estimated 40,000 will lead to death.

Shallow as the thought is, this has always seemed like it would be a deeply humiliating disease for a man to get. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 10, 2003 8:39 AM