A Boynton Beach man is urging other men to take lumps and breast changes seriously after he was diagnosed with breast cancer. David Riggleman Sr., 61, first noticed a bump near his nipple but did not think much of it at the time. A burning sensation a few days later led him to see a doctor.
His doctor ordered imaging, including a mammogram, which Riggleman said he had assumed was only for women. A biopsy confirmed the cancer. Riggleman had surgery to remove his left breast and a lymph node under his arm. Because the cancer was caught early, he did not need chemotherapy.
Dr. Sebastian Lopez, a general surgeon at Florida Coast Medical Center, said men have breast tissue and can develop the disease. Male breast cancer makes up less than 1% of cases, and a man’s lifetime risk is about 1 in 755. Lopez said men often delay seeking care, so cancers are sometimes found at a more advanced stage.
Riggleman now speaks at churches and community organizations to break the stigma. After one of his talks, a man with a painful chest lump saw a doctor. That lump was not cancerous, but it required surgery.
Riggleman encourages men to ask their doctors about a mammogram or ultrasound if they notice changes. “Swallow your pride. Don’t be ashamed,” he said.
