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27 T M C » P U L S E | J U N E 2 0 1 8 When Breast Cancer Strikes Men Research related to male patients is limited B y S h a n l e y P i e r c e A fter Ron Lauve's mother and niece battled breast cancer in the 1970s, the Pearland resident had at least three doctors urge him to "keep an eye out" for the disease because of his family history. He took that advice and, from time to time, performed a breast self-examination. "Of course, you hear so much about female breast cancer—rightfully so—that I really didn't think about it too much. Every now and then, I'd think about it and say, 'Well, let me just check,'" Lauve, now 79, said. His vigilance paid off. In June 2012, shortly before his 73rd birthday, Lauve discovered an abnormal, painless lump under his right breast, just behind the nipple. It was a telltale sign of an issue, but he decided to wait to see a doctor. Two weeks later, while working in the garden with his wife, he suddenly felt a sharp pain where the lump was located. "I didn't have any problems, but then all of a sudden one day I had a big problem," Lauve said. Lauve went to see Richard Ehlers, M.D., a breast surgical oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to investigate the growth and run a few tests. Lauve's mammo- gram confirmed what he suspected: He had stage 2 breast cancer. On July 3, 2012, Lauve underwent a mastec- tomy to remove the lump from his right breast. "I was determined from the outset that this was not my time to go," Lauve said. "I had enough confidence that I could live with it. I mean, I could overcome it, not necessarily cure. … That's what you hope. But I knew I had enough fortitude to hit this thing head-on." He underwent six months of chemotherapy and experienced all the symptoms associated with treatment, including losing his hair and dealing with neuropathy on the right side of his body. After his surgery and chemotherapy, he began a five-year adjuvant treatment plan with tamoxifen, starting in January 2013. Tamoxifen, an anti- estrogen drug widely used in women with estro- gen receptor-positive breast cancer to decrease the risk of recurrence, has been shown to be effective in men, as well. (continued) Ron Lauve had a mastectomy in 2012 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.