By Ashley J. WennersHerron
CNN Medical News Intern

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I usually spend September coming up with ways to bring attention to the fact that men also are at risk. While women are a hundred times more likely to develop breast cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 440 men will die from breast cancer in the United States this year. The rarity of male breast cancer, combined with the societal stigma that breast cancer is a woman’s disease, often leads to a late diagnosis for men. This translates to a delay in treatment, which can be detrimental. Just ask my dad.

My father discovered what he thought was a mole a few days after his 36th birthday. He had it removed, but soon discovered another. After six weeks of visiting various dermatologists, my dad ended up in an oncologist’s office. The diagnosis was stage III breast cancer, meaning the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. Since the spread was significant, he underwent chemotherapy. It was hard on him. The chemo compromised his immune system and he had to live in an isolated clean room for about a month, with minimal physical contact. He wasn’t allowed food prepared outside the hospital, which, combined with nausea caused by the chemotherapy, resulted in a drastic weight loss.

Now, doctors are considering administering chemotherapy to patients who may have only a very slight spread of cancer cells. In a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, conducted in the Netherlands, it was found that even a few cancer cells floating to the lymph nodes increases the chance of cancer recurrence. Previously, doctors tended to ignore these “micro-tumors,” because they considered them too minuscule to be significant. The side effects of chemotherapy were considered too severe to be worth the benefit of clearing the rogue cancer cells. That’s changing now.

Chemotherapy may be a small price to pay if it means that a future recurrence is less likely. A late breast cancer diagnosis is typical for men. Micro-tumors and further spread of the cancer are more likely for men, but men have the same likelihood of recurrence as women.

I am happy to say that my father will celebrate his five-year remission mark this January. At one point during his treatment, I was told to prepare for the worst. Luckily, hoping for the best paid off. I still worry, though, and with good reason. Breast cancer must be discussed in terms of people, not just women. Diagnoses need to be made early and treatment should be effective in the long-term. My dad’s story ended on a happy note, but how many more men out there think they have only a mole? How many doctors aren’t even considering that their male patients might have breast cancer?

Do you know a man or are you a man who has experienced breast cancer?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

As a new feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers’ questions. Here’s a question for Dr. Gupta.

Asked by Bill, Dawsonville, Georgia

“I am a pretty healthy 50-year-old guy, but I notice a lot of my friends and colleagues in the same age group are starting to get heart disease and prostate cancer. What is your advice for men wanting to stay a step ahead of potential health concerns?”

Answer:

Thanks for the question. I’m happy to hear you’re interested in health prevention during the prime years of your life. You might be surprised to know that many men don’t get regular health check-ups. It’s interesting when you think about it: Many men tend to focus on their outer appearance around age 50 - get new clothes, new haircut maybe. But when it comes to regular health screenings, they often skip them! The problem is, age 50 is when potential health issues develop.

All men (and women) should be getting annual physicals and screenings for cancer and heart disease. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer for men in the United States and it is often preventable. Keeping your weight down and your vital signs at a healthy level are two of the easiest things a person can do to reduce their risk. In addition to annual check-ups with your general physician, get your eyes examined at least once every two years.

If you’re like me, you might have trouble remembering when your last appointment was. But no excuses! One easy solution is to schedule your annual check-up for the week of your birthday. You’ll likely never forget.

One last piece of advice, don’t let fitness be the first thing to fall off your schedule. It always seems to, especially when life gets busy. But exercise is truly the single best thing a person can do for a long health life. It is not only good for your heart, your brain, and your body weight but also relieves stress. Some studies even show that people who work out are overall happier than those who don’t.

Bottom line: Investing time in your health now, will pay off years down the road. Best of luck, Bill!

By Andrea Kane
CNNhealth.com Producer

I am sure that I am not the only one who is going to be glad to see 2008 in the rearview mirror, receding in the distance - what with all the financial turbulence, the foreclosures, the layoffs, the generally gloomy mood.

And for me, the economic downturn was mirrored by a downturn in my husband's health. Neither one is permanent (I hope!) but both served to cast a pall over the year. It started in May, with the quite sudden discovery of kidney cancer. From discovery to diagnosis to surgery to release from the hospital took a week and a day. My parents came down from New York City to help with the girls, neighbors and friends brought food, helped with daily stuff.

My husband recovered from his surgery (with an excellent prognosis) and gradually life returned to normal. In two months, he had returned to work part-time.

Part-time slipped to full time until... the end of September when he developed a tear in his retina after a jump from a climbing wall; by the following week, despite laser treatment, it had detached.

He had to have real cut-open-your-eye surgery (including stitches!) –the kind that required him to lie with is head at a 30-degree angle for 20 out of 24 hours. This lasted two weeks. Then, he was able to move around for two hours a day. This lasted another two weeks. And, just when we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel (so to speak), we got devastating news: he was among the 5% that developed proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), a catastrophic complication to the surgery. Basically it means that his eye produced too much scar tissue, which stuck to the retina and then contracted, and redetached the retina all over again.

Another surgery to reattach. Another two weeks of immobility. Then a third surgery to replace the gas bubble in his eye with the stronger silicone oil in the hopes of keeping his retina as "flat as a pancake" against the eye's back wall.

Throughout this whole time, there were countless early morning doctor's appointments I had to drive him to and from (plus get myself ready for work, and get the girls to school in a timely manner), groceries to buy, kids to tend and a household to run. Friends, neighbors and family were kind and understanding, but because it happened on the heels of the other crisis, because it wasn't life-threatening and because I didn't expect it to drag on, I didn't get my support system in place.

I turned away general offers of help ("Oh, we're just fine, thanks!") until... a perfect stranger knocked on my door. Or, rather, rang up my cell. Until that moment, I hadn't realized how overwhelmed I felt.

The unknown neighbor heard about our situation  - through the ever-present neighborhood grapevine - and called: she wanted to bring me dinner and would Sunday be okay to drop it off?

I fought off tears. Her kindness touched my heart and made me realize how desperate I was for... what? Relief from the drudgery of every day household tasks like cooking? While the dinner, for food's sake, was certainly appreciate, it went so much deeper than that. While I had been trying to keep it all together, keep it all inside, here was someone who without even knowing me had extended - unasked, unbidden - a helping hand. And by reaching out, she had unleashed a gush of gratitude.

Studies out of Kent State University and University of California at Davis have shown that gratitude, or being thankful, can increase a person’s happiness levels. People who count their blessings are more satisfied with their lives overall, more optimistic about the future.

In 2009, I resolve that when someone has a baby, gets sick, or has some kind of difficulty, I will remember this lesson: Don't ask, just do. So strange that it took a stranger to remind me of the power of a random act of kindness, and the heart-warming pleasure of gratitude.

What are you grateful for? Tell us.

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Val Willingham
CNN Medical Producer

I have a friend who cheats on his wife constantly. What's worse, all his buddies know about it. Even his wife knows. On the surface, he's a nice guy, charismatic, a caring father, and a hard worker. He just can't stay faithful. His loving spouse continues to forgive him even though they've gone through years of therapy. He swears he loves her. He insists he tries to stay away from other women, but still his eye keeps wandering.

I am sure psychiatrists will tell you this guy needs help, but scientists say his behavior could be caused by his genetic makeup. That's right: Some of us may or may not have what researchers call the monogamy gene, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

By looking at different versions of the common field or vole mouse, researchers injected the non-monogamous meadow vole with the monogamy gene from its close cousin the prairie vole. After receiving the gene, scientists found a noticeable change in the meadow vole's behavior. Instead of mating and immediately moving on, (the ol' love and leave 'em tactic) the meadow vole showed more of an attachment to its mate.

So the big question is, could this keep wayward folks from cheating? Would wives or husbands be able to poke a syringe into a wandering spouse’s tush and regain marital bliss? Scientists say hardly. It seems the monogamy gene is broken down into three parts: lust, romance and attraction, and in many cases they don't work together. Which is why doctors say, someone can have a strong attachment to one person and be madly in love with someone else.

That’s unfortunate, because in today's world, where recent polls show many men and women cheat on their partners, and cases of HIV and STDs continue to rise, being monogamous might be a safer, healthier and happier way to live.

What do you think? Let us know how you feel about monogamous or non-monogamous relationships? We'd like to know.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Chief Medical Correspondent

Over the past few days, many people have asked me about swimmer Eric Shanteau. As you may know by now, he secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. He told us he has in one way or another been training his entire life, so when he qualified, you can imagine the overwhelming emotion.  It was the highest point of his life, but it was darkened by the lowest. Cancer. Just as he was booking his tickets to the Olympic trials, he learned he had testicular cancer. For Shanteau, it was decision time: the Olympics or immediate treatment.

He chose the Olympics, a decision that has been controversial and surprised many people. As we investigated and spoke to doctors who specialize in this type of cancer, we learned that most of them were comfortable with his decision to wait. Make no mistake; there are some cancers that require immediate treatment. With early stage testicular cancer, however, you can afford to wait a few weeks or even a couple of months. In the case of Shanteau, he will get a blood test every week and a CT scan every two weeks. He tells us, if there is a blip on his tests, the Olympics go to the back burner and his cancer treatment starts.

Perhaps the most famous cancer survivor in the world, Lance Armstrong, learned of his illness when it was late stage. In Lance’s case, the cancer had spread to his lungs and his brain. It was after his treatment that Lance went on to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times. Lance told me he will be rooting for Eric and applauds his decision to compete and his bravery in sharing his story. Armstrong also said something that really struck me: “Eric will swim like a man possessed, because he’s been reminded of how fragile his life – and our life –is.”

So, do you agree with Shanteau’s decision? Would you wait or not take any chances? Would that change if you were counseling a loved one or were Eric’s parent?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Chief Medical Correspondent

Sure enough, a lot has been made of women and their biological clocks. That ominous ticking seems to be heard by most women as they get into their mid-30s and 40s. On the other hand, men have thought themselves relatively immune to the ravages of time, at least when it came to their ability to conceive. Certainly stories of Tony Randall fathering babies in his 70s were widely circulated. At the same time, we are always reminded that 1/3 of women over the age of 35 had trouble getting pregnant; it went up to ½ when the woman was over 40. Incidentally, infertility is defined as not being able to conceive a baby after a full year of unprotected sex.

Just this week, French researchers tell us, “Not so fast.”  They looked at 12,000 couples being treated for trouble with fertility. They found most times, the couples were being treated because of the man’s infertility.  They also found miscarriage rates more than doubled when the man was in his mid 40s compared with those younger than 30. It could be DNA damage to sperm that accumulates over time, the quality of the sperm, and maybe lower levels of testosterone that are causing the trouble. (watch video)

Even more interesting, as much as older mothers are more likely to have a child with Down syndrome, recent research has shown older men are more likely to father a child with autism and schizophrenia.

So, does this surprise you? When a couple is having trouble getting pregnant, how often do you think they investigate the father-to-be as the cause?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Miriam Falco
CNN Medical Managing Editor

I've always looked forward to Father's Day. Over the past decade I have tried to make it a little more special by making the trip from Georgia to Pennsylvania to see my dad because he’d been living alone since my mother passed away at the end of 1999. This year I'm once again spending Father's Day in Pennsylvania. But it's most likely the last time. My father passed away a month ago; we're having his memorial service today.

Over the past couple of years, my father didn't want to travel any more – not to Germany, where I grew up – not even down to Atlanta, where the winters are milder than in the Northeast. At first he said it was the fact that he couldn't smoke anywhere anymore, an inconvenience he didn't want to put up with. Then he was experiencing some discomforts, which could have, and even were, mistaken by him and by me – his daughter, the medical producer – for something benign that would probably go away.

Then, my dad just seemed to be getting a little less interested in things he used to enjoy. I thought it was a little bit of depression because he missed my mom – the best diagnosis I could offer from my conversations over the phone. Then, over the past year, his symptoms not only persisted, they became worse. Dad refused to go to a doctor. He didn't trust them, despite the fact that I, in my years as a medical producer, had encountered some of the best doctors in many fields. He probably had some good reasons for not trusting doctors. When Mom was battling lung cancer, we were disappointed with her care.

So dad didn't go to the doctor until my husband brought him to Atlanta in April. I told him the only way he could get strong medication - for what I now know must have been excruciating pain - was by getting prescription drugs. Those could come only from seeing a physician. Less than a week later, we learned that Dad had metastatic colon cancer. He died five days later.

Had he gone to see a doctor on a regular basis, or had he gotten a screening colonoscopy at 50 or even 60, this may have been prevented. Had he gone to a doctor over the past two years when he was experiencing more severe symptoms, he may have had a fighting chance to beat the cancer. According to the American Cancer Society and many other medical associations, colon cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer.

My dad was a very smart man. But when it came to managing his health, something else was stronger – call it fear or cynicism. I don't really know. But I'm left with a lot of "what if's?" It's not comforting to know my dad was like many other men, as my collegues have already reported this week.  (CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen's report can be found here; CNN Medical Correspondent Judy Fortin's report can be found here)  My husband says "I don't want to go to the doctor - they're just going to find something wrong."

Why do you – if you're a man reading this – not go to the doctor? What may compel you to seek medical care if you think something's wrong?

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Val Willingham
Medical Producer

I have often wondered why my husband can remember how many touchdowns the Miami Dolphins scored in 1972, but will forget to bring home bread after work, even though I reminded him that very morning. Or why my father can recall the names of all his buddies during the campaign of Okinawa during World War II, but still doesn't know my mother likes daffodils and not carnations for her birthday. Scientists say it's all in the brain and men just can't help it, because gender plays a big part on what we recall and what we don't.

Studies over the years have found men and women don't think the same (no surprise there). Men's and women's brains process things differently. In a large study conducted a few years ago, published in Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, investigators found that males are more likely to remember stats, numbers and non-emotional stuff, whereas females recall things from their childhood, their first kiss, colors, seasons of the year. Men are good at directions and women are better at working on grocery lists. That certainly explains the bread issue.

And as we age, men are more likely to have problems with memory and thinking skills. New research out of this week's American Academy of Neurology annual meeting showed men tend to have mild cognitive impairment earlier in life then women. That means they begin to forget sooner and dementia starts to set in. The study which looked at 2,000 older men, found males were 1 1/2 times more likely to have memory problems than women, regardless of their education or marital status. And doctors say that's odd because data show that when it comes to the number of cases of dementia in this country; men and women are pretty equal. So physicians think although men forget sooner, they forget for a longer period of time, while the female memory has a faster decline.

Do you agree that men and women differ on what they remember? We'd like to hear from you!

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.