'I felt like breast cancer wasn't possible for me'
BBCWhen James Eddleston found a lump near his nipple it never crossed his mind that it could be breast cancer.
"I felt like it wasn't possible, I didn't understand how this could be for me," the marketing director from Heptonstall, in West Yorkshire, said.
"I used to work for Cancer Research UK and I used to interview women with breast cancer, but I never expected to be on the other side of that conversation."
According to Breast Cancer Now, around 55,000 women are diagnosed per year in the UK, compared to only 400 to 500 men.
James, 43, decided to share his story on social media to help other men learn what they should be looking out for and has been documenting his journey on TikTok, Instagram and Substack.
He said: "If people don't know what to look for, they don't know whether they should go to the doctor to get diagnosed or treated - and that is a big problem."
James said he first noticed a lump while he was in the shower, but thought it was nothing to worry about.
"I ignored it for two months and it wasn't until February this year that it started to feel painful.
"I wondered if I had banged myself as I am going through a home renovation and often bang myself. So I ignored it twice.
"A little over a week later I realised that the pain was still there, so that's when I decided to go to the doctors' and get checked out."
He said he was told it was probably nothing, but was sent for a scan and biopsy.
However, at the hospital he was warned by the consultant to prepare for a cancer diagnosis.
When he was told it was breast cancer he said his head was "spinning" and he didn't know what to do.
"They gave me some leaflets but they were all prepared for women.
"I went home, and I got into bed because I just didn't know what to do.
"Over the course of the next week I thought about the worst possible scenarios. I thought if I prepare for the worst, anything else will be a bonus."
James said he was now waiting for his treatment to begin.
"It will be a four-month chemotherapy plan and after that we will revisit surgery. I am going to continue to document it, and talk about it," he said.
"I think it is important that people see the reality of what we're dealing with."
Main symptoms of breast cancer in men
- a lump or swelling in your chest or armpit
- liquid leaking from your nipples (nipple discharge), which may have blood in it
- changes in the size or shape of either side of your chest
- sores or ulcers on your chest
- a change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (may look like eczema)
Nurse consultant Joyce Graham is a Macmillan nurse consultant in breast care at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary - the hospital where James is being treated.
Her department saw five men diagnosed with breast cancer last year compared with 718 women.
She said it is predominantly a female disease, which has a certain stigma around it for men.
"Sometimes men won't tell their friends, they can be very body-conscious, when they go on holiday they might not want to take their t-shirt off because they have a scar on their chest," she said.
She said she welcomes James sharing his story, saying: "Anything that promotes better health and awareness of cancer in general is always a good thing."
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