Willis Gives Male Perspective On Surviving Breast Cancer

On Friday, June 27 at 7:45 a.m. we had a very special guest on "Six in the Morning." His name is Jack Willis, and he's an author who was on the program talking about his new book.

Here's the catch - Jack is a breast cancer survivor. That's right... a man who had breast cancer. It does happen.

The American Cancer Society reports that in 2008 some 1,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among men in the United States. Breast cancer is about 100 times less common among men than among women. For men, the lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is about 1/10th of 1% (1 in 1,000).

The number of breast cancer cases in men relative to the population has been fairly stable over the last 30 years. The prognosis for men with breast cancer was once thought to be worse than that for women, but recent studies have not found this to be true. Based on looking at each stage, the survival rates are about equal. In other words, men and women with the same stage of breast cancer have a similar outlook for survival.

It was interesting when Jack and I spoke on the phone. I asked if he could be on the show on a particular day. He said he wasn't sure if he could make it since he had a mammogram scheduled that morning. I hadn't ever heard that from a man! But I realized as survivors, we have a connection.

Be sure to watch the video of my interview with Jack Willis! I think there's a lesson for all of us!

LeAnne Taylor

Breast Cancer Survivor

Six in the Morning Anchor