Tyler Mane, the actor best known for his role as Sabretooth in the 2000 hit “X-Men” and a former World Championship Wrestling (WCW) star, has revealed that he has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 59-year-old shared the “super rare” diagnosis on June 8, telling fans he was starting chemotherapy treatment.
“I have bad news. I start chemo today,” Mane said in an interview Facebook video. “One in 750 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and I am one of them.
“Because it is rarely talked about, it is usually discovered at a later stage and has worse consequences. I want to change that.”
The actor, who reprized the role of Sabretooth in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ from 2024,said he plans to document his treatment journey to raise awareness about it breast cancer in men and encourage other men to pay attention to possible symptoms.
“Come on my journey to kick this thing’s ass,” he said. “Send this to ten of your friends and have them follow me because people need to hear this. F-k cancer!”
Mane explained that he initially wanted to keep his diagnosis private.
“Yes. I have breast cancer. And yes, it is super rare. Only 1% of breast cancer cases are in men,” he wrote.
“I’ll be honest, my first reaction was to keep it a secret. I mean, it’s a little embarrassing. But then I found out that men are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage because it’s not talked about or looked for.”
Mane also credited his wife, Renae Geerlings, with encouraging him to seek treatment after doctors initially dismissed his concerns.
“In fact, my doctors turned it all down and it was only because my wife pushed me to have the lump removed that I came in early,” he wrote. “So let’s start talking about it!”
According to figures, less than 1% of breast cancer cases in the US occur in men the American Cancer Society.
The organization says the disease is often diagnosed later in men because awareness is lower and symptoms can be overlooked.
Symptoms may include: a painless lump in the breast; changes to the skin or nipple, such as dimpling, flaking or discoloration; and nipple discharge or bleeding, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Although male breast cancer most often affects older men, it can occur at any age.
Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Mane wrestled in WCW as Big Sky in the late 1980s and early 1990s before retiring from professional wrestling in 1996 and moving to Hollywood.
He later rose to fame as Sabretooth in “X-Men” and appeared in films such as “Joe Dirt,” “The Scorpion King,” Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” films and “The Devil’s Rejects,” according to IMDb.
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