By Melissa Dunson
mdunson@joplinglobe.com
Macho men die too.
That’s the message Michelle Ducre, director of the Community Health Clinic in Joplin, wants Joplin-area men to get. She wants them to go to the doctor. She wants them to get a breast exam.
“How do you get that message across, that macho men die?” Ducre said.
Breast cancer happens most often in women, but can affect men, too. With a “pec check” and early detection, 95 percent of men diagnosed with breast cancer survive.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 1,990 men have been diagnosed with cases of invasive breast cancer so far this year. That same group estimates that about 450 men will die from it during that same time.
The risk of a man getting breast cancer is about one in 1,000. Even that risk should motivate men to want to get checked, Ducre said.
To help remove some of the stigma of men getting “pec checks,” she wants to make it a fun, or “macho” event.
Starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Cycle Connection, 5014 Hearnes Blvd., Ducre’s “macho men” will lead the way in getting their breast-cancer screenings, hopefully followed by many other local men.
The macho-men volunteers include Joplin Police Chief Lane Roberts; Mike Landis, owner of Landis Construction and member of the Joplin R-8 Board of Education; Scott Hutson, owner of Cycle Connection; J.D. Buckridge of Freedom Now business services; Marshall Hogue, an Iraq War veteran; and country singer Rich McReady.
A local doctor will give attendees a free “pec check,” then the macho men can enjoy some free food and music. More information on breast cancer and other health conditions that can effect men will be available at the event.
“It doesn’t hurt and it just takes a few minutes,” Ducre said.
The event is being made possible with the support of Hope 4 You Breast Cancer Foundation, Cycle Connection and Sportsman’s Park.
Risk factors
n Family history of breast cancer (male or female).
n Inherited gene mutations.
n Klinefelter syndrome.
n Radiation exposure.
n Alcohol consumption.
n Liver disease.
n Estrogen treatment.
n Obesity.
n Conditions affecting the testicles.
n Occupational exposure to high temperatures or gasoline fumes.
