Not Just Pink

I was reading a breast cancer survivor story the other day. Like far too many cases, the patient initially put off going to a physician after finding the breast lump. When the patient finally sought treatment, their worst fears were confirmed.

This story, unfortunately sounds only too familiar to many of us who work in the mammography field. The unusual twist to this story was that the patient was male. Breast cancer occurs in women 100 times more frequently than men, but over 2,000 men will be diagnosed this year with breast cancer in the United States.

The patient told how he delayed going to his physician initially because of how embarrassed he was. Mammography and ultrasound tests were soon performed and then a biopsy followed. After the diagnosis of cancer was made, his treatment plan was very similar to that of a female patient. In his story, he noted that when he was receiving his treatment, he was the only male.

At the hospital where I work, we perform about 600 mammograms a week. During the course of that week, we may see one male patient. Most men are very uncomfortable coming in for an exam that is routinely done on women.

Fortunately, we have a male waiting room where patients also wait for general X-rays. Our gowns are not pink, and we can privately usher men into an exam room without attracting too much attention.

I guess my point is that we do need to be sensitive to the needs of all of our patients.  Yes, very clearly, the vast majority of our patients are women. But that solitary male, swimming in an ocean of pink ribbons, also needs all of our compassion and skill. I won't be packing away any of my pink scrub tops, bracelets or earrings any time soon, but I will try a little harder to make sure that any male patients get treated with the dignity and respect that all of our patients deserve.