THE
GENE MEN CANNOT AFFORD TO IGNORE
Dr. Kara Maxwell and Male
Breast Cancer Survivor Harvey Singer Bring BRCA, Screening and Family Risk Into
Focus
UNCOVERED
| Male Breast Cancer Global
Special Report | September 22, 2026
PROLOGUE
For decades,
public understanding of BRCA mutations has largely been shaped through the lens
of women, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. That narrative is incomplete. Men
inherit BRCA mutations. Men transmit them to their children. And for some men,
these inherited mutations can significantly alter their risks for breast,
prostate, pancreatic and other cancers.
On September
22, 2026, Dr. Kara Maxwell,
Director of the Men & BRCA Program at the
Together,
physician and survivor delivered a message that deserves greater attention:
understanding inherited cancer risk is not simply about predicting disease. It
can provide an opportunity to screen differently, communicate with family
members, advocate for appropriate care and potentially identify cancer earlier.
BRCA IS NOT JUST A WOMEN’S
HEALTH ISSUE
Dr. Kara
Maxwell approached the subject by first addressing one of its most persistent
misconceptions: BRCA mutations are not “female genes.”
Maxwell
directs the Men & BRCA Program at the
Maxwell began
her September presentation with a primer on genetics, explaining how variants
and mutations in DNA can affect the function of proteins and, in some cases,
increase susceptibility to cancer. She stressed an especially important
concept: genetic medicine is
continually changing.
Testing
performed years ago may not have examined the same number of genes or types of
variants detectable by contemporary technology. For that reason, an individual
who underwent genetic testing years earlier should not necessarily assume that
the subject is permanently closed.
The
implications are particularly important for male breast cancer survivors.
Maxwell
emphasized that men diagnosed with breast cancer should undergo germline
genetic testing regardless of age or family history. She also discussed genetic
evaluation in prostate and pancreatic cancer and explained how family histories
of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers may provide important clues
to inherited cancer susceptibility.
The family
history must include both sides of
the family. A pathogenic BRCA mutation can be inherited from
either the mother or father and transmitted by either men or women.
DR.
KARA MAXWELL
“Many men do
not think that they need to get genetic testing, that the breast cancer gene is
a female gene, it can only be passed through mothers, it only affects women,
and none of those things are true.”
TESTING IS CHANGING—AND
YESTERDAY’S TEST MAY NOT BE ENOUGH
One of the
most consequential portions of Maxwell’s presentation involved the evolution of
genetic testing itself.
BRCA1 and
BRCA2 remain central to hereditary breast cancer discussions, but Maxwell also
addressed genes including PALB2, ATM
and CHEK2. She explained that laboratories and genetic panels
have changed over time and that older tests may not have evaluated all the
genetic alterations detectable today.
This makes
the actual genetic-testing report important. Patients should know what type of
testing they received, which genes were examined and whether subsequent
advances might justify updated testing.
The problem
is not merely theoretical.
Maxwell
discussed research examining thousands of men with cancers including breast,
pancreatic and metastatic prostate cancer. Even among men with breast
cancer—where genetic testing recommendations have existed for years—the testing
rates she presented remained inadequate. Her central conclusion was direct: not
enough men with breast cancer are receiving genetic testing.
That gap
represents more than a missed scientific opportunity. A genetic result can
influence surveillance, treatment, future cancer risk assessment and decisions
affecting an entire biological family.
HARVEY SINGER: WHEN A GENETIC
LESSON BECOMES A FAMILY STORY
Harvey Singer
gave Maxwell’s presentation an extraordinary human dimension.
Singer is a
male breast cancer survivor, BRCA2 mutation carrier and advocate. During the
discussion, he described a family history that seemed almost to illustrate
Maxwell’s presentation in real time.
His younger
sister, a four-time breast cancer survivor, was known to carry the BRCA
mutation. Singer himself was subsequently diagnosed with male breast cancer and
later prostate cancer. His older brother, also BRCA2-positive, developed
pancreatic cancer.
Yet Singer
acknowledged that when he was initially warned that he might carry the
mutation, he reacted much like many other men.
Breast cancer
did not seem like a disease that should concern him.
It did.
Singer
eventually learned that he carried BRCA2. His understanding of cancer risk
changed dramatically. Screening was no longer simply routine healthcare; it
became a personalized surveillance strategy informed by genetics and family
history.
HARVEY
SINGER
“Having an
understanding of carrying a mutation allows you to screen effectively.”
Singer
described learning to monitor his health differently, including breast,
prostate and pancreatic surveillance. He also spoke about another difficult
aspect of hereditary cancer: telling family members.
His two sons
responded differently to the possibility of genetic testing. One wanted to be
tested quickly. The other waited years.
That
hesitation, Singer suggested, is part of the challenge. Some individuals fear
that knowing about a mutation will cause them to live under the shadow of
cancer. Yet his experience demonstrates the alternative interpretation:
knowledge can provide an opportunity to act.
Singer’s
mother also struggled with guilt over having passed the mutation to her
children. Maxwell responded to that concern by emphasizing that inherited
mutations are not anyone’s fault. What matters clinically is recognizing risk
and giving relatives an opportunity to make informed decisions.
SCREENING IS NOT ABOUT
FINDING MORE CANCER. IT IS ABOUT FINDING IT EARLIER.
The
interaction between Maxwell and Singer produced perhaps the most important
message of the program.
Cancer
surveillance should not be understood simply as an effort to “find cancer.” Its
value is the possibility of identifying disease earlier, when treatment choices
and outcomes may be different.
Maxwell noted
that treatments themselves can carry significant physical burdens. Earlier
detection may influence how extensive treatment must become and how profoundly
cancer disrupts a person’s life.
She also
challenged another persistent misconception: men can undergo mammography.
Men have
breast tissue, and mammography can be performed in men. Maxwell discussed the
continuing research surrounding mammographic surveillance in male BRCA carriers
and expressed strong support during the discussion for mammography among male
breast cancer survivors.
The
presentation also addressed a subject rarely included in public discussions of
male breast cancer: reconstruction.
Men
undergoing breast cancer surgery may have options involving scar revision, fat
grafting, implants, tissue reconstruction and nipple reconstruction or
tattooing. Maxwell noted that some male patients were never informed that
reconstructive options existed.
The issue
extends beyond appearance. It speaks to dignity, body image and quality of life
after cancer.
A PROBLEM WITHIN HEALTHCARE
ITSELF
Singer also
directed attention toward the healthcare system.
Throughout
his cancer experience, he said he encountered healthcare professionals who were
surprised that a man could develop breast cancer.
His
observation raises a significant educational concern. Male breast cancer is
rare, but rarity should not translate into invisibility.
Singer argued
that male breast cancer needs greater inclusion in medical education and
primary care. Men themselves may not know to ask about their breasts during
routine examinations, while clinicians may not routinely examine male breast
tissue or discuss hereditary breast cancer risk.
Maxwell
agreed that genetics needs greater integration into primary care, including
stronger family-history assessment and clinicians who are sufficiently familiar
with hereditary cancer syndromes to recognize when genetic evaluation is
appropriate.
That issue
becomes increasingly important as genetic science grows more complex.
WHY DR. MAXWELL’S
PRESENTATION MATTERS
The
importance of Maxwell’s September 22 presentation was not simply the amount of
genetic information presented. Its greater value was the way she connected
genetics to action.
A BRCA result
is not merely a laboratory finding.
It can
influence breast surveillance. It can affect prostate and pancreatic cancer
risk assessment. It may influence certain treatment decisions. It can lead
relatives to genetic counseling. It can change how a family interprets
generations of cancer diagnoses that previously appeared unrelated.
Maxwell’s
presentation also challenged the concept that a negative genetic test
necessarily ends the investigation. Genetic knowledge is still developing. New
cancer-associated genes continue to be studied, variants are reclassified and
testing technology continues to improve. Family history therefore remains
important even when testing has not identified a clearly pathogenic mutation.
Harvey Singer
provided the living counterpart to that science.
His breast
cancer, prostate cancer, BRCA2 status and family history transformed Maxwell’s
discussion from genetic theory into a recognizable human story.
As Maxwell
observed during their exchange, the two had not coordinated Singer’s story to
match her presentation. It simply did.
That may have
been the most powerful lesson of the program.
Genetics is
not abstract when it appears across generations of a family. It becomes a tool
for understanding what happened—and potentially changing what happens next.
PULL QUOTE | DR. KARA MAXWELL
“The
screening gives you the power to find it early.”
Early
detection, Maxwell emphasized, is not simply about identifying disease. It may
change treatment and reduce the impact cancer has on a patient’s life.
PULL QUOTE | HARVEY SINGER
“Knowing
your risks… and knowing how to advocate for yourself with those risks are
imperative.”
Singer’s
experience illustrates how genetic information can transform a survivor from a
passive recipient of care into an informed participant in lifelong
surveillance.
WHAT MEN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
BRCA
UNCOVERED Educational Brief
BRCA
is not exclusively about women. Men can inherit BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and
can pass them to sons or daughters.
Male
breast cancer matters genetically. Men diagnosed with breast cancer should
discuss germline genetic testing with their healthcare team. Maxwell emphasized
during the presentation that male breast cancer itself is an indication for
genetic evaluation.
Look
at both sides of the family. Cancer history on a father’s side is just as
relevant as history on a mother’s side. Breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate
and male breast cancers within a family may provide important clues.
Older
genetic testing may warrant another conversation. Genetic panels and
technology have changed substantially. Someone tested years ago should discuss
with a genetics professional whether the original testing remains adequate.
BRCA
can involve more than breast cancer. In men, pathogenic BRCA mutations can
also be associated with increased risks of prostate and pancreatic cancers.
BRCA2 is particularly important in discussions of male cancer risk.
Men
can have mammograms. Male breast tissue can be imaged. The appropriate
screening plan depends upon individual risk, personal cancer history, genetic
status and medical guidance.
Genetic
information affects families. A positive result may have implications for
siblings, children and other biological relatives. Genetic counseling can help
families understand what a result means and whether relatives should consider
testing.
A
negative result does not erase family history. Genetics continues to
evolve. Screening decisions may still be influenced by a significant personal
or family cancer history.
Know
the report—not simply “positive” or “negative.” Patients should
understand which genes were tested, what type of test was performed and whether
a variant of uncertain significance was identified.
Knowledge
creates options. Genetic information can help guide surveillance, conversations
with healthcare professionals, treatment considerations and family
communication.
THE MESSAGE
For men, BRCA
awareness should not create fear. It should create informed vigilance.
As the September
22, 2026 discussion between Dr. Kara Maxwell and Harvey Singer demonstrated,
genetics can connect generations of cancer history—but it can also provide
families with something earlier generations may never have had:
the
opportunity to know, to screen, to advocate and to act.
Educational
reporting based on the September 22, 2026 presentation and discussion featuring
Dr. Kara Maxwell and Harvey Singer. This article is intended for educational
and informational purposes and does not replace individualized medical advice,
genetic counseling, diagnosis or treatment.
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