90-year-old breast cancer patient urges men to get checked

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07/07/23

Marvin Wax, 90, of NYC, and his wife of 68 years, Sandy, have an important message that they want to share during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Traditionally thought of as a woman’s disease, Mr. and Mrs. Wax want to encourage everyone to pay attention to their bodies and seek medical attention if unusual changes are taking place. Mr. Wax was too embarrassed to see a doctor when he suspected that something was wrong – and now he’s being treated for breast cancer.

Last year, Mr. Wax said that he “felt something” in the area of his left breast but just couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone about it. Finally, at his wife’s insistence, he agreed to see a doctor. In August 2020, Mr. Wax was seen by Paul Baron, MD, Chief of Breast Surgery and Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Lenox Hill Hospital/Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital (MEETH). During this exam, Mr. Wax told Dr. Baron that he’d been aware of a large mass in his left breast for about a year, but was too embarrassed to come in for an evaluation. A needle biopsy in the office returned positive for invasive cancer of the left breast. The tumor was estrogen receptor positive.

Currently, Mr. Wax is being treated with anti-estrogen medication (Tamoxifen). He will be re-examined later this year. If there is no response to the medication, Mr. Wax will undergo surgery to remove the tumor.

Mrs. Wax, who has known her husband since she was 15 years old, believes that cancer –like all diseases – is a family problem. She joins her husband in encouraging men to get over their embarrassment and seek help at the first sign of trouble.

With Marvin Wax, 90, and Sandy, his wife of 68 years and Paul Baron, MD, Director, Breast Cancer Program, Lenox Hill Hospital, MEETH

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