He Went for a Mammogram, Felt 'Like a Tourist'

A writer who assumed mammograms were someone else's problem now has a standing date with the machine. In the Los Angeles Times, Zachary Bernstein describes learning he carries the BRCA1 mutation—a genetic red flag he inherited along with a heavy family history of breast cancer—and being sent for routine breast screening as a man. The exam itself, he finds, is mildly uncomfortable but quick, and not administered by the medieval contraption he'd imagined from TV. What rattles him more is how thoroughly the system, the paperwork ("Does your bra size exceed 42DD?"), and even the clinic staff are geared toward women, reinforcing the idea that men don't belong in this particular waiting room. As Bernstein writes, "I felt like a tourist."

Bernstein uses his experience to examine a blind spot: male breast cancer is rare (hitting only 1 in 726) but comes with a 19% higher mortality rate that advocates link to stigma and ignorance. He talks with a UCLA oncologist and the founder of the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance about how "pink" branding, gender norms, and even the basic term for the disease can obscure the reality that anyone with breast tissue is at risk. "How are men supposed to take seriously a disease that bears the name of a body part so associated with the opposite gender" when "in parts of America, the idea of a man doing anything that can be perceived as feminine is politically charged," Bernstein asks. For his full account, including specific warning signs for men, read the piece at the Times.