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How Richard Roundtree helped create awareness of breast cancer in men

October 26, 2023

In 2000, Richard Roundtree, the iconic action-hero of the 1970s film franchise Shaft and TV series Roots, spoke to PEOPLE about his breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“I'm not embarrassed,” Roundtree told the magazine at the time. “Breast cancer is unusual in men, yes, but you have to be a man to get through this — damn right.”

Although men and individuals assigned male at birth don’t have breasts that produce milk, they have fatty tissue, ducts and breast cells that can become cancerous. The American Cancer Society says approximately 2,800 American men are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year, with around 530 men dying.

Roundtree says he was in the shower in September 1993 when he felt a lump under his left nipple. "It was a minuscule thing, the size of a lima bean," he explains. The actor was not overly concerned, attributing it to gynecomastia that he'd experienced when he was 13, so was surprised to have his doctor tell him that it was breast cancer.

A few days later, Roundtree underwent a modified radical mastectomy that removed his complete left breast from the sternum to the axilla, including the nipple and areola. His cancer had spread to the lymph nodes. After the operation, he underwent six months of chemotherapy, suffered severe nausea, lost 18 pounds, and struggled to get out of bed.

Initially, Roundtree kept his health treatment a secret out of concern it would end his film career, but six years after his treatment and remission, he decided to speak out to educate other men about the condition.

Source:

Hannah, J and Fisher, C. (2023, October 25). People. Breast Cancer Diagnosis Years Before Death (Exclusive). https://people.com/richard-roundtree-breast-cancer-battle-exclusive-8380193