Bloke diagnosed with breast cancer after having no idea men could even get it
A father-of-two has urged other men to get themselves checked after he received a shock breast cancer diagnosis after noticing a lump while swimming.
Julian Albert was celebrating his birthday at a five-star hotel in London when he felt a lump in his chest, having previously dismissed some of the discomfort he had noticed around that area when putting on a seatbelt.
After realising that he had lost two stone without making any significant changes to his diet or lifestyle, the 63-year-old headed to his local GP for a check up and was sent for an ultrasound and biopsy.
It was in August 2023 that the kitchen and bathroom designer was officially diagnosed with breast cancer, something he had no idea could affect men as well as women.
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Julian said: "I noticed when I was getting in the car that here was a bit of tenderness when I put the seatbelt over my left side.
"I didn't think much of it. I rubbed my finger over the tender area and felt a little pea-sized lump.
"I rang the GP and they said it's probably nothing and to leave it. I didn't feel anything was wrong.
"But I was losing a lot of weight for no reason. I lost almost two stone without trying.
"I remember it was my 60th birthday and me and my wife went and stayed in The Savoy in London.
"We were swimming in the pool when I felt my chest and felt this lump again.
"It was in the back of my mind that it hadn't gone - it was still there."
After his diagnosis, Julian had the whole of his left breast and nipple removed during a two-hour mastectomy, with the 20mm tumour also safely removed, with the father from Braintree told that he was cancer free.
He said: "It was a massive shock. You start thinking 'am I going to die?'
"I came out and felt like I was in a daze. I went from swimming in the Savoy hotel, being as fit as a fiddle, to a cancer diagnosis literally a week or so after that.
"I had no idea that men could get breast cancer."
However, three years after his all-clear, Julian became concerned again after noticing a bumpy area of skin over his scar, which scans later confirmed was cancerous once again.
He has since undergone another operation and is due to begin radiotherapy again soon, but is now urging other blokes to get themselves checked out, even if it's in an area where they don't think cancer can appear.
Julian concluded: "I feel lucky to be alive. I could've so easily not gone to the doctors.
"Men present themselves too late. When men go to seek advice on it, they always present themselves too late.
"Men should be checking themselves and bring it into their routine at least every couple of months."
Julian isn't the first and won't be the last man to be diagnosed with breast cancer however, as X-Men star Tyler Mane was also diagnosed with a 'super rare' form of the disease earlier this year.
James Moorhouse