WYOMING – When most people think of breast cancer, they picture a woman. But in Wyoming, where screening rates already rank last in the nation, men face an even steeper challenge: recognizing they can develop the disease at all.
An estimated 2,800 men nationwide will receive breast cancer diagnoses in 2025, according to the American Cancer Society. For men, the average lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is about one in 726, yet awareness remains critically low.
“Both men and women should talk to their doctor about their risk for breast cancer and which screening test is right for them,” according to materials from the Wyoming Department of Health.
Wyoming ranks last in the nation for breast health screening for women greater than 50 years old due to remote medical care access, socio-economic needs and cultural barriers, said the Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative. For men in the state, the barriers multiply.
It’s very rare when a male patient visits a physician complaining of chest pain, he would be referred to an oncologist to rule out the possibility of breast cancer, according to healthcare experts. More than 90% of male patients expressed various degrees of embarrassment at the time of breast symptom onset, research shows.
Early diagnosis of male breast cancer poses a significant challenge, as men typically present with more advanced disease than women with breast cancer, likely due to limited awareness and delayed medical care, according to recent clinical reviews.
Male breast cancer patients have a 19% higher mortality rate than women, a 2019 Vanderbilt University study found. Survival rates for male breast cancer have not significantly improved in the last 30 years, researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
From 2018 to 2022, the overall median age of breast cancer diagnosis in men in the U.S. was 69, according to Susan G. Komen. Men tend to be diagnosed with breast cancers which are hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative.
The Wyoming Cancer Program offers screening assistance through state and federal funding for breast and cervical cancer. The program serves women, transgender women who have taken or are currently taking hormone therapy, and transgender men who have not had a bilateral mastectomy and total hysterectomy, according to state eligibility guidelines.
Kelly Morgan, executive director of the Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative, said the organization works across all 23 counties. The group has distributed $1 million in grant funding since 2016, attending rodeos, Rotary meetings and the State Fair to spread awareness.
Most patients were not aware breast cancer can occur in men prior to diagnosis, according to research on male breast cancer patients. On feeling a lump in the breast, men are less likely to get checked hence causing delay in diagnosis and treatment.
Risk factors include aging, family history, inherited BRCA2 gene mutations, heavy alcohol consumption, liver disease and obesity, medical experts say. About 1 out of 5 men with breast cancer have a close relative, male or female, with the disease.
Jacob Bryson, a male breast cancer survivor, described feeling isolated during treatment in an interview with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. “Basically, I felt like I was alone,” Bryson said. Some survivor groups turned him away because of his gender.
When caught in its earliest, localized stages, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99% for breast cancer patients, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Early detection remains key.
Men should watch for lumps under the nipple, nipple changes including inversion or discharge, skin changes and breast pain. Anyone noticing such symptoms should contact a physician immediately.
For more information about cancer screening in Wyoming, residents can call the Wyoming Cancer Program at 833-660-2004.
