Rosa Mariniello

Breast cancer is a very common malignancy among women. Unfortunately, being male offers no protection against this disease. In recent years, cases of male breast cancer have risen globally, now accounting for approximately 1% of all diagnoses. In Italy, an increasing number of men are being affected before the age of 50, with a total of 600 new cases annually. Regrettably, men often discover the disease only at an advanced stage, when the tumor has grown large enough to be visible or palpable. The resulting psychological trauma is profound, and male identity is inevitably left extremely fragile. One naturally wonders: "Where does the male ego go to hide?" ...Deprived of information, preventive care, mutilated, and feeling less virile. Stefano suffered from breast cancer diagnosed in the summer of 2017 and removed a few months later.It was a caress from his wife that revealed the presence of the lump.After a mastectomy on his left pectoral muscle, he underwent a course of chemotherapy.