Male breast cancer: A survivor works to remove the shame and stigma [Video]

When most people hear “breast cancer,” they instantly think of women.

Yet the Canadian Cancer Society had estimated that during 2023, there would be 260 cases diagnosed in men.

Women and men who have breast cancer have very different experiences due to the differences in their bodies, body chemistry and social-emotional effects of the disease. For example, patient Bryan Lynch said he was able to find countless support groups for women and survivors willing to share their stories, but none for men.

Lynch, currently a patient of the London Regional Cancer Program at London Health Sciences Centre, is trying to break the silence for male breast cancer.

“This is not to take away from the experiences of women with breast cancer,” Lynch says. “I think the reason why there isn’t that visibility around men who have breast cancer is because of shame and stigma that men feel having a disease that is largely attributed to women. I …