October 2025
Male breast cancer is considered to be rare. For men, about one in 1,000 will develop breast cancer. In women, that number is 1 in 3.
Chris Brinegar shares that, while the risk is low, when you are diagnosed, it’s significant.
“If you’re that one in a thousand, it’s still a very big deal,” he says.
Chris was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma: the most common form of breast cancer, earlier this year after identifying a small lump in his chest.
“If a man finds a lump on his breast, he might pass it off as a cyst. If he does start thinking about breast cancer, he might put it off as a woman’s disease and say, ‘I’m too manly for that,’” Chris says.
“Men think it’s uncomfortable because they think this is a woman’s place. It’s not! We see many men,” says Nicole French, supervisor of the Leila J. Eisenstein Breast Center.
“There isn’t any shame in this!” she emphasizes.
In Chris’ case, he says he got his act together and went to the doctor. After a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, doctors confirmed it was breast cancer.
“When someone says you’ve got the big c, you’re generally a little shocked, but I wasn’t surprised,” Chris says.
‘Knowledge is power’
While breast cancer in men is rare, both Chris’ mother and grandmother had breast cancer. Because of this, Chris took a blood test to determine whether he had the BRCA 2 mutation. The test came back positive.
Chris immediately shared the news with his brothers. One of his brothers has since tested positive for the BRCA 2 mutation as well.
“Knowledge is power. Use it,” Chris says.
“The big message here is if you have a family history of breast cancer or other types of cancer that are associated with this particular mutation, see if you qualify for a genetic test. You can catch it early and get screened for these types of cancers earlier than you would have otherwise.”
Catching breast cancer early saves lives.
Because the cancer was identified early, Chris avoided chemotherapy and now takes a daily pill. However, he says many male breast cancer survivors experience stigma that can come with the diagnosis—often a barrier to care. Chris wants to be an example, encouraging others to share their stories.
Studies show that men with breast cancer have a 19 percent higher mortality rate than women.
“Men need to know breast cancer does happen in men,” Nicole says.
