Updated April 28, 2015.
Herb Wagner is a 39-month male breast cancer survivor who proudly wears pink and does whatever he can to increase awareness about male breast cancer (he did documentary with NBC, interviewed with the Tampa Tribune, and done several speaking engagements) in the United States and Canada. Herb read Sean Cooper's story of survival and contacted me, because he also wants to help other men who may be at risk of male breast cancer.
Herb Wagner is a retired analytical chemist who divides his time among Canada, Ohio and Florida. He is a very active 65-year-old, who plays golf and poker, dances and spends time with his daughters. His favorite shirt is a pale pink long-sleeved, button-down dress shirt by Wrangler, because it bears the slogan "Tough Enough to Wear Pink."
Herb's Male Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Age at diagnosis: 61
Type of breast cancer: Stage II-III, invasive ductal carcinoma, estrogen/progesterone receptor positive
Lymph node status: clear, no nodes involved
Tumor description: 16mm diameter
Diagnosis and Treatments:
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy
- Modified radical mastectomy
- Hormone therapy (Arimidex)
A: Although knee-, shoulder- and- hip-replacement surgeries are routine and relatively nonlife threatening, they still imposed painful challenges postsurgery.
Insertion of the pacemaker was more of a mental challenge in accepting the changes of getting older. The diagnosis of male breast cancer (MBC) and dealing with the aftermath was, and continues to be, by far the most challenging, both mentally and physically. It was extremely difficult for me to cope with it because of its sudden diagnosis. Six months prior to receiving the diagnosis, I was advised by a family physician in Ohio that the retracted nipple was nothing to worry about. During my visit with my family physician in Florida, regarding a cyst located on the back of my neck, Dr. Blackburn immediately noticed the inverted nipple and ordered a mammogram the following day. Within six days, I was diagnosed with MBC and scheduled for surgery three days later. Being an analytical chemist and spending more than 40 years doing research for a living, I would have preferred to have more time to research MBC regarding treatment and prognosis. Unfortunately, however, I was left to make a life-altering decision in three days. The lack of public and professional knowledge about the disease, along with the side effects of hormone therapy, continues to be a challenge for me.
Q: Male breast cancer is relatively rare, and you had to see two different doctors before the problem was recognized as such. What do you wish men, and doctors who treat men, would change (or improve) in relation to their awareness and knowledge about male breast cancer?
A: Approximately 1% of all breast cancer is found in men, which means that about 2,100 men in the United States and 200 men in Canada are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Unfortunately, the prognosis for men is not as good as that for women, because more often than not, it is diagnosed at a later, more advanced stage. As with any cancer, early diagnosis is the key to survival. Even though I was misdiagnosed by one family doctor (who was not familiar with breast cancer in men), I was very fortunate that a second family physician had seen the disease before and it was caught in time. It has thus become my mission to increase MBC awareness in men, women and in the doctors who treat men.
Q: How are you working to raise awareness about male breast cancer?
A: In February 2007, I completed a documentary about MBC that aired on NBC Channel 8, Tampa, Fla., which was also placed on their national feed and aired in other U.S. cities and nationally in Canada. An article from the documentary appeared in the Tampa Tribune, copies of which have been placed in my doctor’s offices in Florida, Ohio and in Canada. I now wear a pink cowboy shirt when giving lectures on MBC and a pink golf shirt when on the golf course as a way to raise MBC awareness. I have spoken about MBC at Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walks in Florida, at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, and to other breast cancer support groups in Florida. I have walked the survivor lap in the Canadian and American Cancer Societies Relay for Life, and I am currently on the Woodstock Ontario Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Team. I have just completed a documentary about MBC on Canadian TV; aired on CFTO, channel 9, which is a CTV (Canadian TV) network out of Toronto. I'm scheduling a similar documentary with NBC this fall, informing the public about an MBC logo that was developed by the John W. Nick Foundation in Florida in 1996. I will continue to take every opportunity I can to talk about MBC.
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