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Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, reveals breast cancer diagnosis

Music mogul to expand on battle in sit-down interview on Wednesday

Sarah Jones
Wednesday 02 October 2019 08:12 BST
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Beyonce's father Mathew Knowles reveals he has breast cancer

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Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, has announced he is battling breast cancer.

On Tuesday, Good Morning America shared a teaser clip from an upcoming interview with the music mogul in which the words "fight with breast cancer" appear on the screen before presenter Michael Strahan asks: “How was it to tell your family about the diagnosis?”

The 67-year-old will detail his battle with the disease in Wednesday’s episode of the American television show.

Knowles also tweeted that there would be a “special announcement” made during the interview, presumably referring to, the news of his diagnosis.

The businessman revealed his diagnosis on the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month, which runs through October.

While breast cancer is more commonly associated with women, affecting approximately one in eight in their lifetimes, men can still be diagnosed with the disease.

This is because although boys do not develop breasts like girls do during puberty, they still have a small amount of breast tissue behind the nipples where breast cancer can develop, Macmillan Cancer Support explains.

“Until puberty, breast tissue in boys and girls is the same. Both have a small amount of breast tissue behind the nipple and areola (the darker area of skin around the nipple),” the charity states.

“This is made up of a few tiny tubes (ducts) surrounded by fatty tissue, connective tissue, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.”

According to Cancer Research UK, around 390 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK in comparison to 54,800 women.

Men who are between the ages of 60 and 70 are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.

The most common symptom for breast cancer that men need to look out for is a lump in the breast tissue that can be felt close to, or surrounding, the nipple.

Additional signs of breast cancer can include liquid discharge; a nipple that’s inverted or feels sensitive; swelling in the chest area; ulcers in the chest or nipple area; or lymph nodes in the armpit area, Breast Cancer Care states.

You can find more information on male breast cancer, including how to check for symptoms, at His Breast Cancer, an organisation that raises awareness about the disease.

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