About nine months ago, Boca Raton resident, restaurant owner and fellow LifePubs wine writer Frank Reider (see his ad for GOL! Brazilian Steak House on page 109) was doing a routine self breast exam one morning. That’s something most men DON’T do, but Reider had an extensive history of breast cancer in his family, so he understood the importance of doing self-examinations, even though the chance of a man getting breast cancer is one in 1,000.

And one morning, just like that, he found a lump. “To me it seemed to come out of nowhere. I had checked and there was nothing, and then not even three months later, there it was. Fortunately,” explains Reider, “my good friend is a doctor and he made sure I was swiftly taken care of. A mammogram and a MRI confirmed it—I had breast cancer. I knew it was in my family, but until you’re faced with it, you never really think it’ll happen to you.”

Reider originally was concerned because he was under the impression male breast cancer was more aggressive. Previous medical professionals over the years speculated that because the average male breast has less tissue than the average female breast, male breast cancer could spread faster to other tissues in the body. But now, doctors see that (as with female patients) early detection is the best way to ensure a recovery and that male breast cancers are (on average) not any more aggressive than female breast cancers. Instead, because men (on average) do not do self-breast examinations as frequently as women, their breast cancers are consequentially often caught later in the cancer’s life-cycle.

So how likely is it that you, or your male loved one, will develop breast cancer? If your family history is like Reider’s, your chances of getting breast cancer could jump to 10%. It’s important to realize that the TYPE of breast cancer that runs in your family is key. Cancers that stem from the mutation of the BRCA-2 gene (B-R-C-A often pronounced as “brekka”) are the cancers that spike a man’s chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer. The BRCA-2 genes are common to both men and women and the mutation of the BRCA-2 gene has nothing to do with mutations in estrogen and/or pro-estrogen (common gene mutations associated with other common female breast cancers). Mutations in this gene also lead to an increased risk for development of prostate cancers. Overall, 15% of breast cancers in men are thought to be attributed to a BRCA-2 mutation.

But there are other factors that could spike a man’s chance of having breast cancer up to 50%. If you are a man with more breast tissue than the average man (a symptom known as gynecomastia)—even if this is a side effect from a drug treatment (such as Finasteride—a.k.a. Propecia and Proscar) —your chances of breast cancer could increase to 50%! The gynecomastia symptom could be an indicator that your body is producing more estrogen and less testosterone—therefore increasing your chance of having estrogen-based breast cancer mutations. Estrogen-based breast cancers can also happen in men who have liver disease. Cirrhosis (or scarring of the liver)—resulting from alcohol abuse, chronic viral hepatitis and/or rare genetic conditions—effect the genetic make-up of the hormones distributed throughout the blood stream. Men with cirrhosis of the liver have higher blood levels of estrogen and have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Finally, a lump in the breast may not be the only indication that a male has breast cancer. You should also take notice if your nipple appears crusted, scaly, and/or red, with areas of itching, oozing, burning, and/or bleeding. These may be signs of a breast cancer known as Paget’s disease. Paget’s disease only accounts for 1% of all female breast cancers but are responsible for a higher percentage of male breast cancers.

If you are observant of any lumps, changes and/or other breast abnormalities, you could be lucky and catch breast cancer early like Reider, whose treatment and side effects were extremely minimal. “I worked the whole weekend after the Thursday operation,” notes Reider. “No one could tell the difference besides the fact that I had a scar where my nipple once was.” But (as with most survivors), the scare with breast cancer has made an impact on his life. In addition to Reider now being the honorary Chairman of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s annual October luncheon at Woodfield Country Club, he now feels he lives his life differently. “Breast cancer is a diagnosis no one wants to hear,” he said thoughtfully. “It didn’t really change my life, I knew what I had to do and did it. But in many ways, I now value many facets of my life more and I stop to smell the roses daily,” says Reider. “I know how blessed I am to be healthy today. To have the support of my adult children (Jessica, Gregory, Andrew, Dylan, and Vanessa) and my girlfriend. As a MALE survivor people ask me for advice all the time. I just say, be aware that even as a man you have a risk. If breast cancer runs in your family get the BRCA gene test. Know the symptoms. Know your doctor. Know the immeasurable importance of being well-loved and well-informed—as well as being lucky.”