WPTV’s TA Walker Gets a Mammogram for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and T.A. Walker shines a light on Jupiter Medical Center, connecting you with the experts who make us proud to call this place home.

On Monday I went to the Margaret W. Niedland Breast Center at Jupiter Medical Center. This was not my first time having a mammogram.

A few years ago I discovered a lump on my breast and the experience left me numb. My attending physician, seemingly dismissive of my statement, groped my breasts and then was taken back and simply gasped, “Oh.” He sent me to the breast center.

I remember the application form asking me all sorts of questions that I had never thought about. When was my last “cycle”, when was my last pregnancy, etc. I remember being frustrated by the questions: “Isn’t there a male version of this form?”

The staff at the spa, which is like a breast center, was very caring and understanding. And after a few awkward mammogram “squeezes,” it was determined that I did not have breast cancer (though it did help prepare me emotionally for the time I got colon cancer a few years later).

Men don’t talk about mammograms. Essentially, the chest is placed on a base and a clamp is lowered and compresses the chest. It’s very tight, but manageable. The car turns 45 degrees and the same thing happens. This is repeated on the other side. You will know very quickly whether you have cancer or not.

The Centers for Disease Control says 1 in 100 cases of breast cancer occur in men.

“If you have a family history, you have a family history, you definitely want to talk to them because geneticists, we know that BRCA gene mutations do increase the risk of breast cancer in men as well as in women,” said doctor. Julian C. Berrocal of Jupiter Medical Center.

So what should guys pay attention to?

“In men, breast cancer usually appears as a tumor. It is usually located on the chest, just behind the nipple. If you feel it or find a difference (you need to get tested),” Dr. Berrocal said.

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