'Men can get breast cancer too, I was one of them - it's no joke'

When tough Coronation Street detective Kit Green discovered he had stage three breast cancer earlier this month, one man knew exactly how he felt. Phil Alderson, 54, a web designer from the Wirral, says: “Ten years ago that was me, being taken off into another room to be consoled by my own breast care nurse. “ Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, Phil continues: “When I watched Kit break down on Coronation Street, having been told about his breast cancer diagnosis, it felt like I was watching myself. “ Kit, played by actor Jacob Roberts, 36, was diagnosed after his great aunt Celeste (Frances Barber) alerted his sister Gemma to a family history of breast cancer, before she died from the disease - prompting the family to get tested for the hereditary BRCA gene mutation. People with a mutated BRCA gene have a much higher lifetime risk of developing certain cancers, such as breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. Jacob says of Kit’s reaction: “It’s total disbelief. He’s getting his head around it. It’s not just cancer, but breast cancer.” Still widely seen as a ‘woman’s disease,’ Corrie has been praised by charities including Breast Cancer Now, which advised ITV on the storyline, for raising awareness of male breast cancer - with more than 400 men being diagnosed annually in the UK. The charity’s associate director of nursing and health information, Sally Kum, says: “Kit’s story serves as a powerful reminder that breast cancer can happen to anyone.” While Dr Rajiv Dave, consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon, for charity Prevent Breast Cancer, says: “Having a known gene mutation like BRCA impacts men just as much as women. So, if breast cancer runs in your family, that’s relevant whether you’re a man or a woman. “Male breast cancer is a relatively rare disease, but men should still be aware that it’s a possibility because - while it’s rare - it’s very real. That’s why stories like Kit Green’s in Coronation Street are so important.” Revealing his shaved head during an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine this week, as Kit will soon be seen having chemo, Jacob continues: “The more I spoke to people with male breast cancer, it's sort of a woman's world in a way. You feel a bit emasculated. I’m hoping this gets some awareness out.” Now an ambassador for the Macmillan cancer charity, as a breast cancer survivor, Phil Alderson met up with the actor to help him prepare for the storyline. He says: “I visited the Corrie set and spent an hour and a half with Jacob Roberts, as he prepared for the storyline. I think he’s doing a brilliant job.” When Phil was diagnosed in 2016, he says he didn’t even realise men could get breast cancer. He says: “I was playing with my daughter, who was six at the time, when she bumped into my left breast area. I’m lucky that she did - it probably saved my life. “Rubbing my chest, I found a small pea-sized lump behind my nipple. It worried me and the next day I called the GP. The NHS was incredible and, around two weeks later, I’d had all kinds of tests, from mammograms to biopsies. “Then came the words you dread - ‘it’s breast cancer.’ I didn’t even notice the word breast at first, only cancer. And, of course, I feared the worst.” Caught early, Phil had a mastectomy to remove his breast tissue and lymph nodes. He continues: “Being a man, having breast cancer is incredibly isolating. Everything from the literature covered in women getting fitted for bras, to the lilac room you’re taken to be consoled in, feels alien and there’s a weird void when it comes to male support. “There’s no reference in your brain for it as a man. You picture women dressed in pink running Race For Life.” Declared cancer free after surgery, Phil didn’t need any further treatment. He says: “Tests revealed I didn’t have the BRCA gene, unlike Kit in Corrie, and I was told it was unlikely to return. I’m now 10 years cancer free.” Deciding to help other men, after feeling like he’d been “cast adrift in the sea,” when he was diagnosed with breast cancer, he adds: “I’ve since been heavily involved with Macmillan, Breast Cancer Now and Prevent Breast Cancer and done some modelling work as a man with a mastectomy scar. “There’s still a taboo surrounding male breast cancer, which makes me determined to talk about it all the more. It can happen to men, young men too, and if it does, you are not alone.” Marketing director James Eddleston, 43, who lives in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, with his dietician partner Emily, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January and, although now cancer free, is still receiving treatment. He says: “Kit’s storyline on Coronation Street has triggered an uptick in interest in male breast cancer, which is great. It’s sometimes seen as a joke, I mean, what man gets breast cancer, right? But having been through it, I can tell you it’s no laughing matter. “ Generally healthy, the diagnosis was a complete shock for James. He says: “When I discovered a hard lump below my right nipple just before Christmas last year I didn’t think anything of it at first. “But when it was still there in March, I went to the GP, who sent me for a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. They confirmed it was breast cancer, and a hormonal type that grows aggressively. I was started on chemotherapy, which didn’t shrink the tumour, so I was scheduled for a mastectomy to cut it out. “They removed my breast tissue, nipple and lymph nodes under my armpit. I’m now on more chemotherapy for the next nine months as well as radiotherapy five times a week. I also have 10 years of Tamoxifen which is a hormone blocker.” Luckily, he doesn’t have the BRCA gene mutation. But he says: “Doctor’s don’t know why breast cancer happened to me, although my great grandma had it [breast cancer] and used to show my mum her scar when she was a child. “I used to work for Cancer Research UK, and interviewed women at the Race For Life event. “Never did I think one day I would be telling my own story about breast cancer.” James commends Corrie and actor Jacob for their male breast cancer storyline. He says: “I’ve made videos on social media since my diagnosis to spread awareness, and the most common thing I’ve found is that men simply don’t know they could get breast cancer. “The second is that people sometimes find it funny. There’s a sort of playground snickering that comes with the mention of breasts. That’s why the Coronation Street storyline is so important, and it’s been handled really sensitively. “Actor Jacob Roberts is doing a fine job, it’s very authentic to the male breast cancer experience, so far. Male breast cancer is isolating, and confusing. Corrie is beaming the issue into people’s living rooms, and if it gets one man to check their chest, it may well save a life.” *For more information see preventbreastcancer.org.uk; macmillan.org.uk; pinkribbonfoundation.org.uk; breastcancernow.org