SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man fighting cancer is sharing his experience and helping others deal with a cancer diagnosis.
About 10 years ago, Chris Gregg noticed something was wrong in the chest area of his body.
“My nipple was bleeding,” Gregg said. “I was perfectly ready to completely throw a Band-aid over it and ignore it and just carry on with life. But my wife had me go to the clinic and get it checked.”
Doctors found and removed a cancerous mass – breast cancer.
The disease is rare in men. According to Dr. Saundra Buys, an oncologist at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, for every 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer, one man is diagnosed.
“Sometimes people without any risk factors can get breast cancer,” Dr. Buys said. “Including men when they are younger.”
“You’ve got trillions of cells in your body and there is just a probability you get a mutation, and something goes wrong,” Gregg added.
Despite having the tumor removed, Gregg’s cancer spread to other areas of his body.
Now, he’s living with stage 4 cancer. He received that diagnosis in 2018.
“I ultimately received an MRI scan and it showed the presence of tumors in my skeleton,” he said. “Managing stage 4 disease is very complicated. It becomes a lifestyle. It’s integral to what you do every day.”
To help others, Gregg developed a website called “Uncharted Health.”
It’s what he calls a free masterclass for cancer patients – connecting others with a collection of resources and information to supplement their treatment and effectively battle the disease.
He shares his own experiences on the website.
“I have done chemotherapy and radiation therapies and immunotherapies in ways we hope will improve our ability to control cancer for a long period of time,” Gregg said.
He didn’t have any known risk factors prior to his cancer diagnosis.
Gregg urges those battling the disease to eat healthy, avoid processed foods and sugar, exercise regularly and take care of their mental health.
Dr. Buys says men should begin routine screenings for various forms of cancer at age 45.
Breast cancer is often found as a hard mass underneath the nipple. Men who notice a lump are urged to see their doctor immediately.
