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In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Jonathan Bennett reminded his social media followers that sometimes cis men need mammograms too. The 41-year-old Mean Girls actor shared footage from his recent screening on Instagram last week.
“I’m showing you what it’s like to get a mammogram,” Bennett, 41, said in the video. “After my husband had a scare a few years ago, and with cancer running in both of our families, screenings are important to us.”
In the video, he gets scanned from multiple angles, and then he’s dismissed to go outside and eat a cupcake. “After a few different positions and X-rays, that’s it! The radiologist checks my images, and I’m done,” he said. (Bennett, who lost his father to cancer, according to an interview with The Knot, said in his post that he’s partnering with an organization raising money for the Ellie Fund, which provides services to breast cancer patients.)
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While breast cancer mostly affects women, about 1 in every 100 diagnoses occurs in men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 2,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer in men will be diagnosed this year, and 530 men will die from the disease.
Possible symptoms of breast cancer in men can include a lump, swelling, nipple retraction (when the nipple turns inward), nipple discharge, redness (depending on your skin tone), and scaling of the skin, per the ACS. The changes can occur directly in the breasts or in nearby areas, such as around the collarbone. Of course, these symptoms aren’t always an immediate sign of breast cancer, but it’s best to see a health care provider if you notice any of these changes in your general chest area (especially if they’re new or persistent).
Family history is just one risk factor for breast cancer in men. Others include older age (most men are diagnosed after age 50), certain genetic mutations, and certain underlying health conditions, including liver disease, per the CDC. According to the ACS, Black men are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than white men.
If you have a history of breast cancer in your family, the CDC says you should have a conversation with your doctor about which screenings are right for you and how often you should get them—and Bennett echoed that recommendation in his video. He encouraged his followers to be proactive about their health and to “talk to your doctor about what’s right for you,” regardless of gender.
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