Peter Criss has reinforced his message that men should take cancer warning signs seriously.
The original Kiss drummer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 after noticing a lump on his chest and he had the tumour successfully removed through surgery.
But he says too many men ignore the signs and adds that ignorance is especially rife when it comes to male breast cancer.
He tells Eddie Trunk: “Men get breast cancer. The word breast annoys me because it sounds like a girl’s thing, but it’s not. All I’m trying to say is you’ve gotta get aware. You’ve gotta check yourself. If you feel a bump, it’s not gonna go away.
“Most men, as stupid as we are, think, ‘Ah, I lifted weights wrong.’ It can be really devastating. If you’ve got toothache, you go to the dentist. If you feel a lump go to the doctor. You’ll live longer, it’s that simple.”
Last month Criss was inducted into the Cancer Research & Treatment Fund’s Hall Of Fame as this year’s Cancer Survivor Honoree at an event in New York.
On his award, he says: “To get an award like that, it’s not like a golden record. It’s a whole different ballpark. It was an honour, because my doctor got a lifetime achievement award which is a pretty big deal in the world of cancer.”
