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With men making up nearly 1% of breast cancer diagnoses, Black men battling breast cancer face higher risks.
Breast cancer is a formidable adversary that knows no boundaries, affecting individuals of all genders and backgrounds. While it is widely recognized as a predominantly female disease, breast cancer can and does strike men as well.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), men account for 1% of breast cancer diagnoses in the United States. Though it is rare, men with breast cancer, especially Black men, experience similar health disparities as Black women when battling breast cancer. Black Health Matters reports that Black men are 52% more likely to contract the disease compared with their white counterparts.
Research also found Black male breast cancer patients have a higher mortality rate (76%) in comparison to white male breast cancer patients undergoing similar treatments. From athletes to former government officials, here are some Black men you may recognize who have received breast cancer diagnoses:
Mathew Knowles
In addition to being a proud father to international superstars Beyoncé and Solange, Mathew Knowles is a breast cancer survivor. In 2019, Knowles revealed his battle with breast cancer. Having caught it in its early stages, Bey’s father decided to undergo a mastectomy soon after receiving his diagnosis and now works to break the stigma surrounding men and breast cancer.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the messaging of how we say male breast cancer or a man has breast cancer,” he told theGrio. “I think have to look at other ways of messaging to men.”
Edward W. Brooke
Known as the first popularly elected Black senator, Edward W. Brooke was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. However, it was only after he underwent a mastectomy to remove his breast tissue that the former senator publicly discussed his diagnosis. Brooke went on to live cancer-free and became an advocate for male breast cancer awareness.
“I fear that there are a lot of men who get breast cancer who just go into general denial and don’t go to a doctor,” he said at a 2003 event held by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, per the Washington Post. “It was worth invading my own privacy to go public with this appeal.”
The former senator passed away in 2015 of natural causes.
Ernie Green
In 2005, former Cleveland Browns player Ernie Green was diagnosed with breast cancer. Green, who helped lead the 1964 Browns to an NFL championship, reportedly was shocked to receive his diagnosis. Having undergone a mastectomy and months of chemotherapy, Green is now 84 years old and uses every opportunity to share his breast cancer survival story, he told Cleveland Ohio’s 19 News in 2016.
“As an athlete, as a person who really spent some time taking care of myself, I never thought I could have the issue in the first place,” Green said in a 2016 interview. “[…] I think I was really lucky because I caught it so early.”
Richard Roundtree
“Shaft” star Richard Roundtree was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993. After discovering a lump in his chest that “didn’t feel right” while filming a movie in Costa Rica, he went to the doctor. He received a double mastectomy and chemotherapy, and then five years passed before the actor publicly discussed his role as a breast cancer survivor during a breast cancer awareness golf tournament.
“I just got up and told everybody that I was a breast cancer survivor. The room was totally silent,” said Roundtree, per blackdoctors.org. “I think it dawned on people that men can be affected by this, too.”
Haniyah Philogene is a multimedia storyteller and Lifestyle reporter covering all things culture. With a passion for digital media, she goes above and beyond to find new ways to tell and share stories.
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