When Breast Cancer Doesn't Fit The Stereotype

When most people think about breast cancer, they probably don't picture someone like Tyler Mane.

Standing at 6ft 9in, the former professional wrestler and actor is best known for playing comic-book villains and imposing tough guys on screen. In other words, he is probably about as far away from the public's idea of a breast cancer patient as it gets.

Announcing publicly via his instagram account, Mane revealed he was diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering a lump in his chest. More strikingly, he admitted that he initially felt embarrassed about the diagnosis and wasn't sure he wanted to tell anyone - a reaction that many men affected by breast cancer will recognise.

If a man who spent years in professional wrestling and Hollywood can feel awkward discussing a breast cancer diagnosis, it shouldn't surprise us that many other men feel exactly the same way.

One of the biggest challenges surrounding breast cancer in men isn't the disease itself, but the assumptions that come with it. Despite affecting hundreds of men every year in the UK, breast cancer is still widely viewed as something that happens to women. The result is that many men simply don't see themselves in the conversation.

The good news is that conversations like this help change that. Visibility matters, particularly when it comes from people who challenge our expectations of what a breast cancer patient looks like.

Every time somebody with a public profile shares their experience, they help challenge outdated perceptions of who breast cancer affects. They make it easier for the next man to recognise a symptom, book a GP appointment or tell somebody what they're going through.

Tyler Mane's story is a reminder that breast cancer doesn't look a certain way. It doesn't care how strong you are, how tall you are or whether people think you fit the stereotype.

And if his story encourages even one man to get a lump checked sooner, speaking out will have been worth it.