The chances are low—only one in 755 men will receive a diagnosis of this particular type of cancer during their lifetime.
However, Tyler Mane, known for his role in X-Men, is now part of that statistic.
“Yes, I have breast cancer,” the 59-year-old actor, born in Saskatoon, expressed in the caption of a video shared on Instagram on June 8. “And yes, it’s extremely uncommon. Only 1% of breast cancer cases occur in men.”
Mane, recognized for portraying Sabretooth in the original X-Men film in 2000 and Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s Halloween, mentioned that when he first noticed a firm lump on his chest last autumn, he initially ignored it.
“I assumed it would disappear… I thought, ‘it’s decreasing,'” he shared with CBC News on Thursday. However, the lump persisted.
At the insistence of his wife, Mane eventually sought medical advice—and in early April, he received a diagnosis of an aggressively growing form of breast cancer.
‘Breast Tissue Is Present in Everybody’
“I thought, ‘it can’t be true, you must have mixed up the reports,'” Mane remarked.
Initially, he wanted to keep his diagnosis private, as he admitted on Instagram.
“It’s somewhat embarrassing,” he wrote. “But then I discovered that men are often diagnosed in later stages because the topic isn’t discussed or monitored.”
As per the Canadian Cancer Society, male breast cancer is exceptionally rare, constituting less than one percent of all breast cancer cases in Canada. The organization notes that the behavior of breast cancer in men is akin to that in women, with most cases in men being “ductal carcinoma, originating in the duct cells.”
Dr. Mojola Omole, a breast surgical oncologist at the Scarborough Health Network, emphasized the necessity to broaden discussions on breast cancer beyond the misconception that it solely affects women.
“Every individual possesses breast tissue,” Omole pointed out. “We are all susceptible to developing breast cancer.”
Mane indicated that men, including himself, often overlook warning signs and delay seeking medical attention due to a sense of pride.
“We all strive to exhibit strength,” he remarked. “‘Oh, I’m fine, toughen up, there’s nothing wrong with me’… but one must understand the importance of undergoing examinations because neglecting something like this could have severe consequences.”
Identifying Warning Signs of Breast Cancer
Omole suggested that checking for warning signs can be as straightforward as examining one’s breast tissue.
“While in the shower, once a month, just perform a quick check to ensure everything feels normal… and if you notice any abnormalities—be it excess fat or something else—seek advice from your doctor.”
Starting chemotherapy recently, Mane also posted a video of himself in a hospital bed uttering “f–k cancer” while gesturing with his middle finger.
“Due to the lack of open dialogue, this cancer is often identified at later stages, leading to poorer outcomes,” Mane conveyed in his June 8 video.
Oftentimes, delayed diagnoses occur because men bypass breast cancer screenings, Omole highlighted, resulting in the lump growing substantially by the time