I’ve got the same rare cancer gene as Angelia Jolie and had a double mastectomy – but I’m a MAN
Breast cancer in men is very rare with about 400 men receiving a diagnosis in Britain every year, compared to 50,000 women
A MAN bravely underwent a double mastectomy after discovering he had the same rare cancer gene as Angelina Jolie.
William Woods, 66, had the operation last November after a mammogram revealed he had a 2cm lump in his breast tissue.
The difficult decision was made more urgent for William after he lost five siblings to cancer.
And he told how people he’s told about his diagnosis are often “astonished” that men can get breast cancer too.
William’s diagnosis only came after he insisted on having a mammogram, something he felt was necessary after he discovered in 1997 that he carried the BRCA gene mutation — often known as the breast cancer gene as it puts carriers at hugely-increased risk of developing the illness.
He revealed how the gene affects most of his 11 siblings, with four sisters and a brother all dying from related cancers, while his father also died of throat cancer.
He said: “I lost two sisters in their 30s to breast cancer and then I lost a brother and another sister too.
“The Woods family are famous in medical circles because we’re riddled with this cancer gene.
"In my case, I was lucky that they caught the cancer early. I had a double mastectomy in November and I have to take a tablet for five years.
"After having the mastectomy, my cancer risk is now the same as normal people’s, as opposed to over 50 per cent. My whole theory now is that men need to be tested for breast cancer too.”
Breast cancer in men is very rare — there are around 400 cases in the UK every year compared to 50,000 cases in women.
William added: “There’s no facilities for men to be tested.
“I was lucky I had breast tissue so they could carry out a mammogram on me. It was a lump I wouldn’t have found myself and I was lucky the mammogram caught it as it’s very important with any cancer to catch it early.”
Angelina Jolie famously put the BRCA — BReast CAncer — gene in the spotlight in 2013 when she revealed she had undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer.
Around one in 400 people have mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, with these mutations putting them at greater risk of developing breast cancer.
But William believes that there’s a need for more awareness of the risk to men.
He said: “People are astonished that I had breast cancer.
“Even after raised awareness of BRCA, a lot of people still don’t know about it and that it affects men too.”
Following his own diagnosis, William’s son Justin was also tested for breast cancer and is considering undergoing a preventative double mastectomy.
His daughter, luckily, doesn’t have the BRCA gene mutation, though several nieces have also undergone preventative double mastectomies.
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And while William accepts that the surgery is difficult, particularly for women, he said that the alternative is far worse.
He said: “I have a scar across my chest and some excess skin. But it’s a far better alternative to dying. We got it early and that’s the main point.
"A lot of people have this cancer gene but men are less aware of it than women.”