According to an Independent Press article posted on NJ.com, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared the week of October 21 – 27, 2012 to be Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week. Though most breast cancer patients are women, it is important to understand that men can also develop the disease and that it is actually more fatal in men than women.
Twenty-seven percent of men with breast cancer die as a result of the disease because it often goes undiagnosed and isn’t detected until its later stages. About 400 men die of breast cancer every year and an estimated 1,900 are diagnosed. Approximately 19 percent of women die as the result of breast cancer.
Two New Jersey women founded The Blue Wave, also known as Blue Wave in a Sea of Pink, and have teamed up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure North Jersey on an awareness campaign regarding male breast cancer.
Healthcare professionals may incorrectly rule out the disease as a reason for a man’s symptoms; leading to delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of a condition that can quickly become fatal. The rareness of a disease does not excuse a healthcare professional’s failure to diagnose a disease; and that failure in diagnosis and/or timely treatment may constitute medical negligence.
If you or a loved one has suffered as the result of medical negligence concerning the diagnosis of breast cancer, the experienced New Jersey breast cancer diagnosis attorneys at Blume Forte can help you determine whether you may be entitled to pursue legal claims surrounding damages sustained. For a no-cost consultation, call us at 973-845-4421.