Male Office Mates Developed Breast Cancer
June 4, 2001 -- Three men working in one Albuquerque office say the odds of winning the Powerball lottery two days in a row are better than what happened to them: they each have male breast cancer.
Only 1,400 men are diagnosed with the disease each year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. For every man who is diagnosed, there are more than 100 women found to have breast cancer.
Which is why it seemed so odd when Arthur Slater and James Montano, both of whom worked in the same office for the Bernalillo County assessor's office in Albuquerque, developed breast cancer. They say a toxic workplace was to blame, and have filed suit against their employer.
"Since the day when we moved into that office, it smelled of a motor burnt out, all the time," said Slater on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America.
Slater says the workers were evacuated from their office quite often. "They weren't just drills," said Slater. "The fire department came. We spent more time outside than we did inside."
Slater and Montano's attorney, Sam Bregman, said a third male employee also has breast cancer, but he has chosen to remain anonymous thus far.
Laundry List of Concerns
The suit lists 15 environmental concerns that the city and county never fully addressed, including excessive levels of carbon monoxide and dioxide, high levels of fiberglass and mold and a problem with electromagnetic fields.
The attorney points out that the electrical vault which supplied the power for the entire 11-story building was located in the basement, directly across the hall from the assessor's office, Bregman said. The assessor's office is now in a different building, but it was located in the basement of the other building from 1995 to 1998.
Some of the equipment was also in the office itself, Montano said. And the basement also contained the sewer line, the computer main frame, the heating and cooling systems and the telephone systems.
Slater said he knows of 10 other people who have had forms of cancer in the office. Four have died, and he said he has also heard about miscarriages.
Bregman has said that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Services and the U.S. Department of Energy cite a number of studies linking electromagnetic fields and male breast cancer.
Good Morning America's Dr. Nancy Snyderman said electromagnetic fields, as a causative factor for breast cancer, are one component that should be taken seriously. But she says doctors and scientists will have to look for other links in this case too.
"The problem with anything like this, as you try to figure out the epidemiology, you have to be medical sleuths what are the common denominators among the three men that could link them to breast cancer," said Synderman. "Certainly the building and these fields seem to be the big link right now."
Complaints Addressed, Lawyers Say
When contacted by Good Morning America, both the Bernalillo County and the Albuquerque city attorney said they were reviewing the suit, and felt that the city and county had addressed the employees' complaints and had documented their actions over the past 10 years.
Workers for the city's Public Works Department now work in the former assessor's office.
Slater said he started working in the office in 1975. In 1994, he noticed a bump on the left side of his chest, and complained to his doctor. A needle biopsy came back negative two years in a row. But in 1996, it got bigger, and was swollen, like a cone, and a flesh biopsy came back positive. Doctors told him they would have to remove his breast.
He lost his nipple and part of his chest in the surgery in March 1996, when doctors removed a tumor the size of a fist. After the surgery, his oncologist put him on a drug that is normally prescribed for women, and so far it has worked, he said.
Meanwhile, Montano felt a lump on the right side of his chest in 1997, but didn't think much of it. A biopsy came back negative. About two years later, it was larger and painful. His doctor sent him to a breast specialist who found cancer. In 2000, his breast was removed, as well as 21 lymph nodes that it had spread to. He also had chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Montano said.
When the men realized what was happening they filed a Freedom of Information request with the county and city, and received memos which they believe document problems with the building that led to the breast cancer.
Men Often Detect Cancer Later
According to the American Cancer Society, although breast cancer is more common in women, it is usually caught at a later stage in men, partly because it's more difficult to detect, and partly because men tend to ignore the symptoms until the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Male breast cancer is more common in men over 60 years of age, because the breasts tend to become enlarged with age.
Symptoms of male breast cancer are the same as in women: a lump in the breast (generally in the center behind the aureole in men), discharge from the nipple, retraction of the nipple, or an ulceration on the breast. Lumps are often painless, which is why a lot of men tend to ignore them. Nipple discharge is the most ominous sign in a man, as 75 percent of all cases involving this symptom turn out to be cancerous.
Diagnosis and treatment are also similar to that used on women. A mammogram is performed (as in small-breasted women, it is possible, although more difficult), accompanied by an ultrasound, a physical exam and a biopsy.
If cancer is detected, a mastectomy is usually performed. Unlike with women, attempts to preserve male breasts are rare. If the cancer has spread, radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be needed.