Beyoncé and Solange’s father Mathew Knowles shares message on genetic testing, five years after announcing male breast cancer diagnosis

Mathew Knowles is an entertainment mogul and famous father of daughters Beyoncé and Solange. But these days he focuses on sharing a survival story.

Knowles was diagnosed with male breast cancer in 2019 announcement to Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America.”

In the years since his diagnosis, he has recovered and become an advocate, namely for genetic testing.

“It’s about being proactive about your health and getting the information, and once you have the information, reaching out to your health care providers and coming up with a plan,” he told ABC13.

Cancer, especially breast cancer, was not a foreign concept to Knowles.

He explained that he sold mammography equipment for about eight years in the 1980s, so when he noticed discharge from his nipples and blood spots on his shirt, his training about the disease helped him recognize that these might be signs of male breast cancer. .

He requested a mammogram and confirmed it was cancer.

Breast cancer in men is uncommon. About 1 in 100 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the United States is found in a man Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

The most common types of breast cancer in men are invasive ductal carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

The most common symptoms are a lump or swelling in the breast, redness or flaky skin on the breast, irritation or dimpling in the breast skin, nipple discharge and pulling, or pain in the nipple area.

Knowles explained that he had had a mastectomy, but he felt genetic testing was the key to understanding the overall picture of his health.

“That changed everything when I found out I had a BRCA mutation,” he said, adding that he is specifically BRCA2 positive. “It means for men you are at a higher risk, not necessarily of getting it, but a higher risk of male breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and melanoma. For women it may also mean ovarian cancer. breast cancer.”

“I think it’s absolutely critical that we start getting genetic testing today,” Knowles added.

Today, Knowles works with AstraZeneca BeBRCAware campaign, focused on educating people about genetic testing, knowing their family history and cancer risks.

Knowles said he knew he was going back to his grandmother on his mother’s side because of breast cancer in his family. On his father’s side, his grandfather died of prostate cancer, as did four of his father’s brothers.

But the tests can also give you insight into other diseases and potential health problems, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke risk.

Knowles, also a global ambassador for 23andMe, said most people may be afraid and think testing is invasive or painful, but it is just a saliva test.

Since continuing his advocacy, Knowles says he has received positive feedback from men who may have been ashamed of their breast cancer.

“I’ve heard some men whisper in my ear, ‘You know, I have that too,’ but I wanted to be out in the open, in public, because once you talk out loud it loses its energy,” he said. “I think it’s important for men and women to understand the importance of early detection, and especially men and women of color to understand how important it is to detect these diseases early.”

Knowles was diagnosed with stage 1A cancer and says he lives a very normal life.

“Things happen differently in phase 4, it’s a lifestyle change that I’ve made. I’ve lost weight. I’ve changed my eating habits. I’ve been exercising,” he told ABC13. “Then there’s the mental health part that a lot of people don’t talk about, which is very important. Don’t isolate if you find out you have this disease.”

And knowing your BRCA status, he says, can help make that huge difference. “Knowledge is power.”

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