Julian Albert, a 63-year-old kitchen and bathroom designer from Braintree, Essex, says he 'didn't even know men could get breast cancer' until he found a pea-sized lump in his chest while swimming at The Savoy Hotel in London.
Discovery of the lump
Albert first noticed tenderness on the left side of his chest when putting on his seatbelt but did not think much of it. Months later, during a birthday trip to The Savoy, he felt a lump while swimming in the hotel's pool. He had also lost two stone without changing his diet or lifestyle, prompting him to visit a doctor.
Albert said: 'I noticed when I was getting in the car that there was a bit of tenderness when I put the seatbelt over my left side. I didn't think much of it. I rubbed my finger over the tender area and felt a little pea-sized lump. I rang the GP and they said it's probably nothing and to leave it.'
Diagnosis and treatment
After an ultrasound and biopsy, the dad-of-two was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2023. He underwent a mastectomy, during which doctors removed a 20mm marble-sized tumour, and was told he was cancer-free. Three years later, scans of his scar tissue revealed a small recurrence, which was removed during a second surgery.
Albert said: 'It was a massive shock. You start thinking 'am I going to die?' I came out and felt like I was in a daze. I went from swimming in the Savoy hotel, being as fit as a fiddle, to a cancer diagnosis literally a week or so after that. I had no idea that men could get breast cancer.'
Urging men to check themselves
Albert, who is due to start preventative radiotherapy in September, now urges other men not to ignore symptoms. He said: 'I feel lucky to be alive. I could've so easily not gone to the doctors. Men present themselves too late. When men go to seek advice on it, they always present themselves too late. Men should be checking themselves and bring it into their routine at least every couple of months.'
