James Eddleston, 43, from Bury, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March after finding a lump in his chest months earlier. He initially dismissed it, attributing the soreness to a house renovation, but later booked a GP appointment when the discomfort persisted. The GP, who was not his usual doctor, examined him and said, "I don't think it's anything to worry about," but referred him on a two-week wait pathway for further investigation.
Diagnosis and Early Signs
At the hospital, James had a mammogram, where he felt out of place among the women waiting. "It was obviously a room full of women all waiting for their mammograms, as well as posters and everything, looking at me like, 'Who's this guy? Is he lost?'" he recalled. After the mammogram, he was sent for an ultrasound, and the staff's behaviour made him realise something was wrong. A senior radiographer said they would do biopsies, telling him, "This is unexplained."
Returning a week later, James was told to prepare for the possibility of cancer. "That was the first time the word was used," he said. He spent the weekend "thinking the worst," imagining terminal outcomes, before the diagnosis was confirmed on 31 March. He then posted a video on TikTok and Instagram about his diagnosis, which he says has "snowballed" since.
Treatment and Side Effects
Tests showed the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes but not to other organs. He began chemotherapy, but suffered severe side effects, including skin problems, mouth ulcers, and bleeding sores in his throat. By mid-July, the tumour was growing despite treatment, so chemotherapy was abandoned and he underwent a mastectomy, removing breast tissue, the nipple, the tumour, and lymph nodes under his right arm.
After six weeks of recovery, James resumed chemotherapy, which he will continue for about nine months. He also completed a 15-day course of radiotherapy and will take a hormone blocker for 10 years and ibandronic acid for three years to prevent recurrence and spread. "It's just never-ending," he said of the treatment.
Feeling Excluded and Raising Awareness
James noted that male breast cancer accounts for less than one per cent of all cases, and he feels the messaging is female-focused. "Everything is female-focused," he said. "You feel very excluded." He praised Coronation Street for its storyline featuring DC Kit Green's diagnosis with stage 3 breast cancer, saying it helps normalise the disease for men. "I think normalising it is what's most important," he added.
James has received messages from men who were prompted to get checked after watching his videos, including one man who was diagnosed with breast cancer. "Immediately for me, that made it worth it," he said. He continues to document his journey on Instagram and TikTok, encouraging anyone with changes to their body to "go and get checked."
