Former Kiss Drummer, Peter Criss Talks About His Breast Cancer and Being Macho

While lying in bed one night in 2007, Peter Criss felt a small lump in his left breast. The former Kiss drummer's first thoughts were, "I'm a guy. This must be a cyst or something." He tried to ignore it, but it seemed to get larger and then began to hurt. He began to worry and finally went to the doctor. After some tests and a biopsy, the doctor called with the news. It was breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that begins in the cells of the breast. These malignant tumor cells can invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body. Eventually death can result. Although breast cancer mostly occurs in women, men can get it too.

Until puberty, both young girls and boys have a small amount of breast tissue. After puberty a girl's ovaries produce hormones that increase the growth of the breasts, while in boys the production of male hormones by the testicles restricts their breasts' growth. However the original small amount of their remaining breast tissue is still vulnerable.

Like all of the body's cells, breast cells in a man can undergo cancerous changes. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 2000 new cases of invasive breast cancer in men are diagnosed each year, and about 450 men who have had the disease for awhile, die from it.

Symptoms of male breast cancer are:

*Abnormal lump or swelling in either the breast, nipple or chest muscle

*Skin dimpling or puckering

*Nipple retraction (turning inward)

*Redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin

*Nipple discharge

The news that he had breast cancer shocked Peter Criss. "My heart hit my stomach and my knees buckled," he recalled. The good news was that Criss had found the cancer at it earliest stages .After two surgeries in 2008 to remove the lump and surrounding cancerous tissue, he found out he did not need radiation, chemotherapy or medication. Today, the ex-costumed rocker is speaking out, urging men to get tested for breast cancer if they experience any changes in their breasts.

"You need to tell your wife, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, whatever, he said." "The more you sit around and say, 'Well, it's going to go away,' "that time could be the time you could use to save your life."

Chriss said that there should be no stigma to having the disease. It has nothing to do with being macho. Chriss, whose 1976 ballad Beth, was the biggest hit the Kiss rock band has had to date, said there was no tougher guy than him. He was in gangs, fights and was born in Brooklyn. He said there is nothing wrong with a man saying, "There's something going on and I need to deal with it."

Paul Criss, 63, is cancer free today. His treatment gave him a close look at what women have endured for ages. He described the mammogram experience as "medieval." "It's amazing how they got my little pecs in that thing." He now has a new respect for women.

Chriss, a co-founder of the rock band Kiss, was with the band from 1973-1980. He did a reunion tour from 1996-2000. He returned for a final tour in 2003. He is presently working on a solo album and his autobiography.

"I am the Catman ," he said. "I do have nine lives, but I think I'm down to five now."

Sources:

St. Pete Times

ACS: What is Breast Cancer in Men?

Imaginis- Breast Cancer in Men