- By Jodi Tahsler
- Posted June 14, 2023
Passing on a Legacy of Health: Ben Huebsch Shares His BRCA Story for Men’s Health Week
Ben Huebsch was inspired to become an educator because of his mother’s advice to give back to his community. He loves his job as a middle school principal: he gets a front-row seat to the impact a dedicated staff can have on young lives! He is continuing his mother’s legacy by sharing his firsthand experience with BRCA testing for …
- By Beth Kuhn
- Posted January 30, 2018
How I Got Ahead of Cancer After Learning About My BRCA2 Gene Mutation
After watching my mom and aunt battle bilateral breast cancer - which included chemotherapy, radiation, mastectomies (surgical removal of the breast(s)), and all the physical and emotional anguish that accompanies it – I learned that I carry a BRCA2 gene mutation. It runs in our family. I was told that my inherited BRCA2 mutation …
- By Bill Rotter
- Posted March 16, 2017
Why I Liquidated my Business to Advocate for Male Breast Cancer Awareness
Several years prior to my breast cancer diagnosis, I started to think about the right time to liquidate my business and sell the real estate. At the time, my brother and I owned two Ace hardware stores in the Milwaukee area with approximately 100,000-sq. ft. of retail space, warehouse and offices. I knew it would be a physically daunting undertaking …
- By Deepti Babu, MS, CGC
- Posted December 23, 2016
New Research on Male Breast Cancer: Unexpected Results and Insights
Breast cancer in men may be rare in the average population, but is far more common in people with an underlying genetic predisposition. Finding a cancer gene mutation in a man with breast cancer can drastically impact medical management for him and his family members (who may otherwise not be screened for the disease). Current guidelines recommend …
- By Jackie Connor
- Posted November 3, 2016
Ambry Supports 'Movember' with Clinical Research, Testing Menu Updates and...Mustaches
The many male faces at Ambry are becoming a little scruffier in support of ‘Movember,’ an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about men’s health. While our guys forgo the barber and/or a daily shave, at Ambry, the meaning behind ‘Movember’ goes deeper than the mustachioed men on campus. Ambry’s constant push for more clinical …
- By Bill Rotter
- Posted October 20, 2016
A Male Breast Cancer Perspective (repost)
Editor’s Note: We are re-posting Bill Rotter’s entry in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It also coincides with an important time in Bill’s home state of Wisconsin; it is Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week from October 16-22, 2016. Bill was kind enough to update his piece to help raise the profile of men with breast cancer. Cancer …
- By Bill Rotter
- Posted August 16, 2016
Attending Breast Cancer Symposiums, Conferences and Research and Advocacy Seminars will Help Keep You in the Forefront Of Your Cancer
Soon after completing all of my treatment for male breast cancer I knew I was determined to stay on top of my cancer going forward. I know there are many advancements in finding cures for all types of cancers and I am committed to learning everything possible about my cancer diagnosis. Whether it happens to be in the area of new drugs …
- By Michelle Jackson
- Posted August 4, 2016
And Now, A Little Something For the Men Facing Hereditary Cancer
As a female genetic counselor, I can say I have counseled many men regarding their risk for hereditary cancer. I have seen the different reactions and responses they have had. I have looked for different information (from what I provided to females) to give to them, if it will help. I cannot say I have any idea what it is like to be a man …
- By Bill Rotter
- Posted July 28, 2016
Ways The Ambry Genetics HBOC Patient Website Would Have Been Helpful After My Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Genetic Testing
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2013, and soon after learned I had inherited a gene mutation that was passed on from my father’s side of my family. This overwhelming news was cause for great concern as much of what I had just learned was a lot to absorb. I was the first in my family to be tested for BRCA1/2 gene mutations even …
- By Jessica Profato, MS, CGC
- Posted June 2, 2016
How We Can Increase Awareness Of Male Breast Cancer
It has been mentioned in previous posts that there is limited awareness about the fact that men can get breast cancer, and that this limits the options men have for support. It only makes sense for us to consider how we in the medical community, as well as society in general, can do a better job of this – raising the profile for male breast …
- By Dr. Robina Smith
- Posted May 12, 2016
Breast Cancer is Not Always Pink
Did you know that the third week in October is Male Breast Cancer Week and the male breast cancer ribbon is pink and blue? Most people do not, just as most are surprised to learn that men can even have breast cancer. Unlike female breast cancer, male breast cancer (MBC) is rare, accounting for about 1% of all cancers diagnosed in men. For men …
- By Bill Rotter
- Posted May 10, 2016
My Doctor Ordered a Mammogram...But I'm A Guy
In my opinion, every guy should have the experience of having a mammogram at a women’s clinic… never. When I think back in my lifetime to all the uncomfortable experiences I have encountered, few can rival walking into a clinic designed for women to have a mammogram. From the moment I walked in, I knew this would be a life-altering series …
- By Theresa Smith
- Posted April 28, 2016
What About The Men? Time For Us To " Man Up"
For a woman being diagnosed with a BRCA2 gene mutation, there is a ton of information specific to cancers for women, but what if you are a man? The amount regarding male breast cancer, hereditary prostate cancer, and hereditary pancreatic cancer is limited. In addition, public awareness about these conditions is limited. Considering …
- By Bill Rotter
- Posted April 26, 2016
Sharing My Diagnosis and Genetic Testing With Family and Friends
While it’s difficult for anyone to come to grips with a cancer diagnosis, it becomes more challenging having to share the news with family and friends. Especially when you are a man telling them you have breast cancer. People may look at you with a deer in the headlights stare….men get breast cancer? This was the reaction from many, as …
- By Michelle Jackson
- Posted April 14, 2016
Male breast cancer is rare, but it’s not that rarely inherited
When I was a clinical genetic counselor, I met with many men who had been diagnosed with breast cancer for genetic counseling and genetic testing. Counseling male breast cancer patients about genetics was often very different for me than counseling female breast cancer patients. I think the main reason for that is men and women are different and …