Tyler Mane never imagined the hard lump that appeared on the left side of his chest would turn out to be breast cancer. The “X-Men” actor and former wrestler says he first noticed it last fall, but wasn’t overly concerned. He thought it would go away. It was his wife, Renae, who urged him t o get the lump checked out and removed this spring. The diagnosis: invasive ductal carcinoma. It was caught early, at Stage 1, when it hadn’t yet spread. Genetic testing revealed Mane has a gene mutation that increases his risk of breast cancer and other types, too. “It never even crossed my mind that I would be having male breast cancer,” Mane, 61, who lives in Atlanta, tells TODAY.com in a digital exclusive interview. “I was being conscious of heart conditions, but never breast cancer… I really want to say, ‘Check yourselves, men.’” He announced his diagnosis on Instagram this month, calling it “super rare.” Fewer than 1% of breast cancer cases occur in men, according to the American Cancer Society. Mane is one of 2,670 men expected to be diagnosed with the disease in the U.S. in 2026. For men, the average lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is about 1 in 755, compared to 1 in 8 for women. Mane going public “is a valuable reminder that men can get breast cancer,” Dr. Harold Burstein, director of breast cancer education at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told NBC News. For many men, “it’s just not widely known that it’s a possibility,” Burstein added. How Mane discovered the breast cancer Mane says his first reaction was to keep his diagnosis secret, calling it “kind of embarrassing.” He explains he’s always been self-conscious about his chest. “It’s been an issue for me because that’s where I carry my fat,” Mane says. “All the way through high school, I had a fattier chest, meatier chest, and some kids can be cruel and make fun of you.” When the former wrestler started a health journey about two years ago, he had a DEXA scan to measure his body fat percentage and was shocked to discover it came in at 33%. Mane then started working out to get back into shape, and it dropped to 16% last fall. That’s when he began noticing the lump in his left breast, close to his nipple. “That was pretty much the only sign that I had,” he says. “(But) as a guy, you just put stuff off. You go, ‘I’ll get better, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it, it’ll go away.’” In the spring, Mane’s brother died of a massive heart attack. Health was on the family’s mind, and Mane’s wife insisted he have a doctor look at the lump. His primary care physician “kind of dismissed it,” but said he could go to a dermatologist, Mane recalls. The dermatologist sent him to a surgeon, who removed the lump on April 1. The biopsy results revealed it was invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer in men, according to the National Library of Medicine. “That’s when my life changed,” Mane says. Celebrity News Jun 10 Former wrestler Tyler Mane says he was diagnosed with breast cancer Artificial Intelligence Oct 22, 2025 Exclusive: ‘Revolutionary' AI-powered mammograms can predict breast cancer risk Genetic testing reveals risk factor He underwent a PET scan and had three lymph nodes removed from his left armpit. All came back clear, confirming it was Stage 1 cancer. No more breast tissue needed to be removed. Genetic testing revealed that Mane has the BRCA2 mutation, which increases a person’s risk of developing breast cancer and other cancers. “I am definitely a mutant,” he jokes, adding that it’s important information for his two children. Other testing showed Mane’s removed tumor was fast-growing, so he started four rounds of chemotherapy to make sure no cancer cells would be left behind. His first session was on June 8, and he has three weeks in between the treatments. The former wrestler does squats and pushups to keep up his strength. “Right now, I’m feeling fine, but it has been a roller coaster,” he says, noting his facial hair is starting to fall out. “I was very tired, resting all the time, but you have to keep a strong mindset to come through this.” Mane takes an estrogen blocker since his cancer was hormone receptor (HR) positive, which means it grows in response to estrogen. He’ll undergo radiation once the chemotherapy is finished. Tyler Mane’s wife, Renae, encouraged him to get the lump in his chest seen by a doctor. (Taylor Hill / WireImage) Mission to raise awareness Mane is grateful to all the fans who’ve reached out to support and encourage him. His next project is “Mane AF,” a podcast he plans to do with his wife that focuses on “dealing with midlife mayhem and marriage,” he says. It’s launching in about a month. But his big mission is to raise awareness about breast cancer in men. Men have reached out to him on social media saying they wish they had gotten checked earlier, before their disease reached Stage 3 or 4. Men are more likely than women to die after being diagnosed with breast cancer, studies have found. One reason is that more men are diagnosed once the disease has already spread, which is likely due to a lack of awareness about breast cancer in men and screening for it, researchers noted. Mane wants other men to know they’re not alone. He’s no longer embarrassed about his diagnosis. “Becoming an advocate for it is something that I felt that I had to do,” he says. “There’s no use hiding from stuff like that, because our bodies are our bodies, and we’re designed the way we are, and we have one go ‘round in life and make the best of it.” This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: She Brought Her Late Dad’s Vintage Camera to Her Wedding. The Film Developed With a Surprise After Hundreds of Women Wrote In, ‘Date My Dad’ Bachelor Went on 3 Dates: Watch What Happened! Mariska Hargitay Says Broadway Debut Was ‘Cripplingly Terrifying.’ She Hung These 4 Pictures in Her Dressing Room for Inspiration This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less