A 62-year-old retired accountant has said a painful prank on a Las Vegas boys' night led him to discover a lump that proved to be male breast cancer.

Robert Pfleghardt, from Vienna, Virginia, felt lasting soreness after a friend pinched his nipple in 2021. A week later, while still rubbing the painful area, he noticed a small mass beside it. Pfleghardt had assumed men did not get breast cancer.

The lump was about the size of an eraser and sat next to his nipple. Tests later found that the cancer had spread to one lymph node. He underwent a lumpectomy on 21 January 2022, followed by 29 sessions of radiotherapy and treatment with tamoxifen.

A Painful Prank and an Unexpected Chest Lump

Pfleghardt was drinking with friends in Las Vegas when one of them pinched his nipple as a joke. He later told SWNS that the squeeze really hurt. When the soreness persisted for about a week, he continued rubbing the area and felt the lump.

'It was kind of weird but I just blew it off. Guys don't get breast cancer, so I thought nothing of it,' he said. But the discovery continued to play on his mind, prompting him to see a nurse practitioner, who recommended further tests.

A mammogram followed. Pfleghardt recalled staff initially calling for 'Mrs Pfleghardt', highlighting how unusual the experience felt to him. The mood quickly changed when he received the results.

'She said it was breast cancer and they were concerned it had spread to my lymph nodes,' Pfleghardt said.

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From Checks to Male Breast Cancer Treatment

Over Christmas 2021, Pfleghardt underwent further tests to determine whether the cancer had spread. Only he and his wife knew about his diagnosis at the time because he did not want to disrupt his family's Christmas. Tests confirmed cancer in one lymph node.

Doctors discussed a mastectomy with Pfleghardt, but having never undergone surgery before, he was frightened by the prospect and opted for a lumpectomy. He has since said he would probably choose a mastectomy if he faced the same decision again.

Pfleghardt underwent surgery on 21 January 2022 and was home within days. He said doctors found clear margins around the removed mass. He then completed 29 sessions of radiotherapy, which he said left the treated skin a 'crispy brown'. Treatment with tamoxifen followed.

How Common Is Breast Cancer in Men?

Although breast cancer in men is rare, it occurs in both the UK and US. Around 420 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK, accounting for less than one per cent of breast cancer cases.

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) similarly estimates that about one in every 100 breast cancers diagnosed is found in a man.

Men have breast tissue and ducts where cancer can develop. The CDC says invasive ductal carcinoma, in which cancer begins in the ducts before growing into surrounding breast tissue, is among the most common forms diagnosed in men. Another is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), where abnormal cancer cells remain within the lining of the ducts.

Warning Signs Men Should Know

A breast lump or swelling is among the most common symptoms of breast cancer in men, according to the CDC. Other possible signs include redness or flaky breast skin, irritation or dimpling, nipple discharge, a nipple pulling inwards and pain around the nipple.

Cancer Research UK also lists a lump or swelling under the arm, a sore on the breast and a rash on or around the nipple among possible symptoms. It says the breast lump associated with male breast cancer is nearly always painless.

These symptoms can also be caused by conditions other than cancer, but both the CDC and Cancer Research UK advise men to seek medical advice if they notice concerning changes.

'He Saved My Life'

Pfleghardt now wants other men to understand that breast cancer is not exclusively a women's disease and to recognise potential warning signs.

'I think a lot more men get breast cancer than they know and it spreads without them realising,' he said. 'People don't know they can get it. And they don't know what to look for.'

Pfleghardt is working on businesses VoraPrep and LeaderReps and is due another scan on 1 October 2026. He and the friend whose prank unexpectedly led him to discover the lump can now joke about how it happened.

'Me and my buddy joke about it now, you know, how we found it,' Pfleghardt said. 'But he saved my life.'

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