Gender Role Stereotypes for Breast Cancer, Essay Example

This paper addresses the issue of gender role stereotyping for people with breast cancer.  The disease more associated with women but it equally can impact men. The paper argues whether the treatment campaigns should be purely focused on the female gender or whether it should have more broader appeal to cover men. It answers the question of : just how aware are men regarding the possibility of getting breast cancer and how should the message reach the broader public ?

Men are  equally vulnerable to breast cancer.  Whilst it is acknowledged, that is a higher incidence of the disease in women.  Nevertheless some  1900 cases of this in men  are recorded in the US each year.  It is a relatively rare occurrence in men, but it is important for them to recognize the symptoms and seek treatment early.  One of the main symptoms is that of a lump appearing in the breast, but also changes in the nipple  structure should be taken seriously.  Enlarged lymph nodes  in the armpits are an indication that the  cancer has spread. ” Men typically wait for symptoms to go away or become worse before seeking medical attention, and this is definitely not a scenario when this is recommended. Certainly other conditions can cause breast lumps and nipple changes, but these issues absolutely must be evaluated by a physician.”  (Fayed).

Most men are not aware of the risk of breast cancer.  And as such may ignore the appearance of a lump thinking that it’s just an infection.  And as such will eventually go away.  Many lumps it.  Men are not captured in the condition called  gynaecomastia.  (Breakthrough breast cancer).

Most of the breast cancer awareness and marketing is targeted at women, having the largest incidence of the disease.  Little mention of the risk to men is covered in these marketing campaigns.  Even the research talks about finding a chore for breast cancer in women and makes little reference to the incidence of males and the risks that they need to be aware of.  Even the colors in the awareness campaign on mainly pink i.e., a woman’s color.  This makes many men, adverse to fighting for breast cancer, because they believe it is a woman’s disease.  There is a great deal of ignorance and lack of communication in terms of male awareness.  There’s also the concept of men, feeling embarrassed about being associated with something, which predominantly is considered female.  There was a similar stigma associated with prostate cancer and men failing to have regular checkups with the doctors and monitoring their PSA blood count.  Fortunately, a great deal of advertising has been targeted at the male community in order to make them aware of the seriousness of this and the need for early detection.

The campaign covering national breast Cancer awareness month is made up of the pink colored website.  This together with the pink ribbon is the symbology.  Another example of idiocy, in terms of trying to gain mail support.  This is particularly annoying, considering the t, told the age group for men most at risk in 60 to 70 years of age; this is the time when most men need reassurance, as opposed to being made to feel effeminate.  (Mayo Clinic).

Perhaps one reason that the medical community has released little medical awareness information, is perhaps because they do not have too much information to divulge. As this disease only impacts a small number of men, it is not relatively well understood in terms in terms of cause.  Current thinking is that this is perhaps a genetic disorder that is passed on through the parents genes. In addition exposure to the hormone oestrogen is also linked to a higher rate of male breast cancer incidence.

Historically hormone treatment has been used to treat men suffering from prostate cancer. ” Oestrogens have been used to treat prostate cancer for over 60 years.  The main oestrogen that is given to patients for prostate cancer is diethylstilboestrol.  This is a synthetic female hormone.  Treatment is generally given in the form of a tablet taken once or three times daily. “(N.Plowman).  Use of Hormone treatment should now be seriously questioned as there are many alternative forms of treatment for prostate cancer.  The side effects of the drug and increased risk of male breast cancer question the serious viability of this option today.

Hormone treatment is also linked to potential blood problems and is not suggested for people with controlled hypertension or heart conditions ” The effects of oestrogens on the blood are very complicated.  They include changes in the way that the blood clots and fluid retention.  As a result of this increased tendency to clot and because of fluid retention, blood pressure increases and patients taking oestrogen are more liable to strokes and heart attacks”  (N.Plowman).

A recent research project involved six men with breast cancer and five health professionals.  The men were reach interviewed in order to discuss their experiences with male breast cancer.  The discussion focused upon their personal experiences, and the subsequent treatment that followed.         The results of this research emphasized the gender differences in how men perceive their masculinity as a barrier to obtaining appropriate health treatment.  The two tower also revealed additional deterrence that included gender assumptions of behaviour and needs, the inadequate amount of sources of information explaining the problem and the treatments that are available.  In addition, the morbidity of the disease and potential fatality associated with cancer; it was felt insufficient support structure was in place.  ” Findings suggest that treatment for male breast cancer is hindered by responses and perceptions that are gender contingent. The lack of qualitative effort afforded to the experience of male breast cancer and the transfer of understanding of breast cancer from women to men fosters a misconstrued interpretation and comprehension of breast cancer in men, both medically and socially. Equally, this study demonstrates a need to redefine our current understanding of men’s health in order to make services more accessible and compelling to men and that fit current male frameworks for accessing medical advice and coping with illness”  (P.Naymark).

In recent study in the UK suggested that men with breast cancer identify specific issues that they believe purely were associated with themselves.  These included: delay in diagnosis, the shock of discovery, the stigma factor in the belief that they have been associated with a female problem.  The altered body image — this particular we men have been receiving hormone replacement therapy and experienced breast enlargement.  They also felt a lack of emotional support and a sense of isolation in dealing with the illness.  Within the UK the research team discovered the material on the management and care about breast cancer patients; particularly thought to the scarcity of this compare to that of female incidence of breast cancer.  In the UK around 300 men are diagnosed each year or 1% of all cases of breast cancer.  (B G Williams).

In the USA.  It also represents about 1% of all breast cancer patients.  The incidence is however, increasing and there are around 2000 new cases reported each year, with approximately 450 fatalities attributed to male breast cancer.  Women take this very seriously and arrange for regular screenings and as such in most cases they detect the disease at an early stage of development.  Men do not have the screening, and as such.  Most cases are normally detected at an advanced stage with the disease has spread into the nearby lymph nodes.  Although the number of incidents in men is a very low percentage.  It does emphasize the need to consider any appearance of lumps as a point of concern in need of immediate discussion with your doctor.

When male breast cancer is diagnosed the doctor will conduct a physical examination of the breast and this will confirm whether the cancer has spread.  The following types of tests are carried out:

• Mammogram: An X ray of the breast in order to detect any changes, often used in association with ultrasound for males;
• Ultrasound– This essentially uses sound waves in order to create a picture of the affected area;
• Needle aspiration – A thin needle is inserted into the lump and this extracts a sample of the material. These are then sent to the laboratory to see if the cells are cancerour or malignant;
• Needle biopsy – As above but taking a larger sample area, normally carried out under local anaesthetic.
• Blood test – Used to ascertain your general health prior to an operation.

Works Cited

B G Williams1, R Iredale1, K Brain1, E France2, P Barrett-Lee3 and J Gray. British Journal of Cancer. 11 11 2003. 25 3 2010 <http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v89/n10/full/6601305a.html>.

Breakthrough breast cancer. Signs & Symptoms of Male Breast Cancer. 2010. 23 3 2010 <http://breakthrough.org.uk/breast_cancer/breast_awareness/male_breast_cancer.html>.

Fayed, Lisa. Male Breast Cancer Symptoms and Signs. 15 10 2009. 25 3 2010 <http://cancer.about.com/od/breastcancerformen/a/malesymptoms.htm>.

Mayo Clinic. Male breast cancer and common treatments. 2010. 23 3 2010 <http://www.nbcam.org/disease_male_breast_cancer.cfm>.

N.Plowman. Hormonal treatment of prostate cancer. 2010. 23 3 2010 <http://www.prostatecancertreatment.co.uk/treatment-options/hormonal-treatment/>.

P.Naymark. Male breast cancer: incompatible and incomparable. 2009. 25 3 2010 <http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1571891306000628>.