The Student Government Association is pitching in with the fundraising event for the American Cancer Society to share information about breast cancer on campus during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
SGA will sell T-shirts bearing the message, "True Men Wear Pink." Sarah Cullers, publicity chair for Relay for Life, said this message is intended to bring awareness of the risks people usually overlook.
"We hope to increase awareness of breast cancer in males because many
men do not realize that they are capable of developing breast cancer," Cullers said.
Emilee Isaacs, SGA community service co-chairwoman, said male breast cancer is one of the most highly misdiagnosed cancers.
"By focusing on men, we have the chance to hand out educational literature to males on campus so that they know what they should be looking for and hopefully they'll pass the information along to someone that we don't get the chance to talk to," Isaacs said. "The best way to get the word out is word of mouth."
According to the breastcancer.org Web site, men and women all have breast tissue. Men's bodies normally don't make much of the breast-stimulating hormones, but sometimes men can develop real breast gland tissue because they take certain medicines or have abnormal hormone levels.
The Web site said it's important to understand the risk factors for male breast cancer, particularly because men are not routinely screened for the disease and don't think about the possibility of getting it. As a result, breast cancer tends to be more advanced in men than in women when it is first detected.
Some signs to watch for are lumps felt in the breast, nipple pain and nipple discharge. The enlargement of both breasts usually is not cancer. Non-cancer-related enlargement of the breast can be caused by medications, heavy alcohol use, weight gain and marijuana use, according to www.breastcancer.org.
The factors that increase men's risks of getting breast cancer include being overweight, heavy use of alcohols and a strong family history of breast cancer, according to the Web site.
As a part of fundraising events for Relay for Life, SGA also will have luminaria bags available for purchase for cancer survivors and cancer victims, HOPE bracelets and bra-shaped cookies.
The T-shirt sale starts today and will continue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Thursday in the Memorial Student Center. All profits will go to the American Cancer Society.
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