EastEnders: Behind The Story - Stuart Highway's Diagnosis

EastEnders recently aired heartbreaking scenes which see much-loved character Stuart Highway, receive the devastating news that he had breast cancer.

While breast cancer is well covered in mainstream media, with regards to checking yourself for symptoms, it's fair to say the messaging is aimed towards women.

While the numbers of men diagnosed with breast cancer is astronomically lower than in women, this storyline is in desperate need in raising awareness, with many people completely unaware that men can suffer with the disease.

So how many men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK? - While 55,000 cases are diagnosed among women in this country, just 1% of all cases are in men at 350 per year.

So what should you look out for? - Cancer Research UK says: There are some similarities between male breast cancer and female breast cancer. But there are also important differences between the two. The most common type in both women and men is called 'invasive ductal carcinoma - no special type'.

Some men develop rarer types of breast cancer, such as inflammatory breast cancer. Or they might develop conditions related to breast cancer but these are very uncommon.

- They include: ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)

- Invasive lobular cancer

- Paget's disease of the breast

The risk factors for male breast cancer include getting older, having high oestrogen levels, Klinefelter's syndrome (a rare genetic condition where a man is born with an extra female chromosome), men who have been exposed to radiation in the chest area, and having family members with breast cancer or a breast cancer gene.

ITV

So what should men be looking out for? - Cancer Research UK say to be aware of the following: The most common symptom for men with breast cancer include:

- Lump in the breast that is nearly always painless

- Oozing from the nipple (a discharge) that may be blood stained

- A nipple that is pulled into the breast (called nipple retraction)

Swelling of the breast (gynecomastia)

- A sore (ulcer) in the skin of the breast

- Lump or swelling under the arm a rash on or around the nipple

If you have any of these symptoms it is important to go to your GP straight away. Finding a cancer early gives the best chance of successful treatment.

When Stuart Highway arrived in Walford, the character was despised by many as he targeted the Carter family, but character development see Stuart's redemption arc which led to viewers up and down the country falling in love with him.

As we said last week, if anyone can give this important storyline the justice it deserves, Ricky Champ is the man for the job.

Let us know what you think, are you happy EastEnders are covering such an underrepresented subject? - For more information, click here to visit Cancer Research UK for all the information on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

EastEnders airs weeknights on BBC One.