‘Workaholic’ diagnosed with aggressive cancer after initially dismissing lump

A chef who was diagnosed with an aggressive form breast cancer All men are being urged to “check their chest” after discovering a lump.

Matt Kelly, 42, first discovered a lump in his chest while at work last October AmericaHelping launch a new restaurant in Chicago.

After visiting her GP, she was sent for further testing, where she was told to look for “progression and answers”, and just two days before Christmas she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Then came the “gut punch” in January, when after a PET scan he was told the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and his bones, primarily his spine.

He began chemotherapy, but it was unsuccessful, and two more PET scans showed that the cancer had spread further and his tumors had grown, and so he reevaluated his treatment options.

Although his cancer is incurable, Matt has since started taking Enhertu, which combines a targeted therapy drug and a chemotherapy drug, and it is helping him “keep the cancer at bay while living a full life.”

Matt, who lives in new cross, LondonAlong with his fiancée Rachel, he said: “I’m in a cancer situation at the moment, where I don’t have any metabolic signs of cancer, but the only thing keeping it away is treatment.

“I’ll be taking chemo every three weeks for the rest of my life, but currently, I don’t have any form of cancer, so I’ve had an amazing response to it.

“They say some people who have my level of reaction have the potential to survive for years, so hopefully there’s hope there.”

He further added, “I would just tell men to check their chest and check themselves and if something is not right then go to the doctor.

“For me, it’s extremely important that people really follow through and don’t put things off because it could be the difference between life and death.”

Before his diagnosis, Matt said he was a “workaholic” but was otherwise healthy.

He knew that men could get breast cancer, but he understood that it mainly affected older men.

according to NHS Let us tell you, the cause of male breast cancer is not clear, but most cases affect men above 60 years of age.

While working in the US in October last year, Matt discovered a lump in the tissue of his right breast, but he initially “didn’t think much of it” until he noticed another symptom.

He said: “When I came back England At the end of October, I noticed my nipples started to invert and I thought, this is not normal, and I booked an appointment with the doctor.

After seeing his GP, Matt said he was referred Lewisham HospitalAnd then Guy’s Hospital, and she had an ultrasound and a biopsy.

She was then informed on December 23 that she had breast cancer – about seven weeks after the lump was first discovered – and she felt “numb”.

With Christmas and New Years around the corner, Matt said appointments were rare, but he was told he needed to have a PET scan, which took place in January.

He said the results showed the cancer was at Stage 4 and that it had spread, adding: “It showed I had two lumps in my chest, a lump in my armpit and four lesions on my spine.”

Matt chose “aggressive” chemotherapy, specifically full-strength docetaxel and Phesgo, and he took six rounds of it.

However, after three months, Matt discovered that the treatment was not “effective at all”.

“There were more lesions on my spinal cord and it spread to my pelvis and ribs,” he said.

Main symptoms of breast cancer in men

NHS

Matt was advised to complete six rounds, but then discovered that he had cancer in 21 areas of his spine, as well as in his pelvis, rib cage and the center of his ribs.

“I think it was extremely disappointing to have one bad news after another, one bad news after another,” Matt said.

“Also, all the side effects and all the feeling sick were from the treatment… so there were points where I thought, why am I doing this? Why am I physically making myself feel more sick while it’s getting worse?”

Matt said his second and third PET scans brought “more bad news”, with more metastases and larger tumors, and he was introduced to palliative care, which felt “surreal.”

He dove into the research and focused attention on targeted treatments that led him to Enhertu, which he says changed his outlook on life.

He eventually had to leave the job, but he and Rachel started a bucket list, ticking off restaurants, cities and countries around the world.

“I asked for an SR1 form, which is a terminal illness form, which said I had one year left to live,” he said.

“The form meant I could access my ISA and pension without being penalized for it.

“I just thought, OK, if I’m potentially going to die, I want to have fun while I’m healthy enough to have fun.

“So we started traveling a bit, and since then I’ve been to some of the best restaurants in the world, like El Celler de Can Roca in Verona, which was incredible, and the amazing Row at 5 on Savile Row.”

Although he said he experienced “brutal” side effects from Enhertu, such as severe constipation and diarrhoea, irritation of the neuropathy on his body, bleeding and ulcers in the nose and mouth, he said “things have started to change”.

He said that after three treatments of Enhertu the tumor in his chest shrank by 30 percent to 40 percent and he had “no further metastases to his spinal cord”, and he learned after six treatments that there were “no metabolic signs of cancer” in his body.

Matt will continue treatment but is now planning some more trips with Rachel, whom he will marry in February next year, and said he has a “more appreciation of the little things” in life.

He said his family and friends have been extremely supportive, as has Men’s VMU – a men-dedicated support group for men with breast cancer – which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.

He would urge other men to check their bodies, advocate for themselves, and try to stay positive, and he hopes that more treatments will be available to treat breast cancer in the near future.

“The word ‘breast’ has always been seen as a female word, but men have breast tissue,” she said.

“It’s about making people understand that men get breast cancer and demystifying it for people.”

Speaking about the Men’s VMU, Matt said: “It makes a huge difference to have people there who have been through what you are, or are going through, and learning from your experiences.

“It makes the world feel a little less lonely.”

Ross McLean, consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at Gateshead Health NHS The Foundation Trust said: “Although breast cancer is rare in men, they have a 65 per cent higher risk of developing distant disease than women – 11.5 per cent versus 6.9 per cent.

“Unfortunately, late diagnosis often occurs due to lack of awareness and delayed presentation.

“Matthew’s story is a powerful and timely reminder of this reality.

“So it is incredibly heartening to see that, despite his advanced diagnosis, Matthew has taken such a proactive approach – researching his condition and most importantly getting involved with the Men’s VMU.

“The peer support of Men’s VMU has been invaluable, providing a vital lifeline emotionally and mentally. Their positive attitude in the face of such aggressive treatment is truly inspiring.”

To learn more about the Men’s VMU visit: www.themensvmu.org,