Mat, 42, has urged men to check themselves as ‘men have breast tissue too’
A chef who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, which means he will have chemotherapy “for the rest of (his) life”, is urging all men to “check their chests”. Mat Kelly, 42, who lives in New Cross, London, with his fiancee Rachel, found a lump in his chest in October last year, while working in America, helping to launch a new restaurant in Chicago.
After visiting his GP, he was referred to hospital for further testing, where he said he had to push for “progress and answers”, and he was diagnosed with breast cancer just two days before Christmas. Then came the “gut punch”, Mat said, as he was told in January, following a PET scan, that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and into his bones, predominantly his spine.
He started chemotherapy, but this was unsuccessful, and two more PET scans revealed the cancer had spread further and his tumours had grown, and he therefore reassessed his treatment options. Although his cancer is incurable, Mat has since started having Enhertu, which combines a targeted therapy drug and a chemotherapy drug, and this is helping him “keep the cancer at bay while living life to the fullest”.
Mat told PA Real Life: “I’m currently in a state of cancer limbo, where I have no metabolic sign of cancer, but the only thing keeping it at bay is the treatment. I’m on chemo for the rest of my life every three weeks, but currently, I have no form of cancer within me, so I’ve had an amazing response to it. They say some people who have my level of response have the ability to live for years and years, so hopefully there is hope out there.”
He added: “I’d just say to men, check your chests and check yourself and, if something’s not right, go to the doctor. For me, it’s just super important that people actually follow through with it and don’t put things off because it can be the difference between life and death.”
Prior to his diagnosis, Mat said he was a “workaholic” but was otherwise healthy. He knew that men could get breast cancer, but he understood it predominantly affected older men. According to NHS inform, the cause of male breast cancer is unclear, but most cases affect men over the age of 60.
While working in America in October last year, Mat discovered a lump in his right breast tissue, but he initially “didn’t think much of it” until he noticed another symptom. He said: “When I came back to England at the end of October, I noticed my nipple started to invert and I thought, that isn’t normal, and I booked a doctor’s appointment.”
After seeing his GP, Mat said he was referred to Lewisham Hospital, and then Guy’s Hospital, and he had an ultrasound and a biopsy. He was then informed he had breast cancer on December 23 – around seven weeks after first discovering the lump – and he felt “numb”.
With Christmas and New Year looming, Mat said appointments were scarce, but he was told he needed to have a PET scan, which took place in January. He said the results revealed the cancer was at stage 4 and it had spread, adding: “It showed that I had two lumps in my chest, a lump in my armpit and four lesions on my spine.”
Mat chose to have “aggressive” chemotherapy, specifically full-strength Docetaxel and Phesgo, and he underwent six rounds of this. However, at the three-month mark, Mat learned the treatment had not been “effective at all”.
“I ended up with more lesions on my spine and it had spread to my pelvis and my ribs,” he said. Mat was advised to finish the six rounds, but after this, he learned he had cancer in 21 areas of his spine, as well as in his pelvis, rib cage and the centre of his ribs.
“I think having bad news after bad news after bad news, it was horrifically frustrating,” Mat said. “Plus, all the side effects and all the feeling ill were from the treatment… so there were points where I thought, why am I doing this? Why am I physically making myself feel more ill while it’s getting worse?”
Mat said his second and third PET scans brought “more bad news”, with more metastases and larger tumours, and he was introduced to palliative care, which felt “surreal”. He dived into research and pushed for targeted therapies, which led him to Enhertu, and he said his perspective on life changed.
He eventually had to give up work, but he and Rachel started a bucket list, ticking off restaurants, cities and countries around the world. “I asked for an SR1 form, which is a terminal illness form that says I’ve got a year left to live,” he said.
“The form meant I could gain access to my ISAs and pension without being penalised for it. I just thought, well, if I’m potentially going to die, I want to have fun while I’m well enough to have fun. So we started doing a bit of travelling, and I’ve since been to some of the best restaurants in the world, such as El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, which was incredible, and the amazing Row on 5 on Savile Row.”
Although he said he experiences “brutal” side effects from Enhertu, such as severe constipation and diarrhoea, burning neuropathy over his body, bleeding and ulceration of his nostrils and mouth, he said “things have started to turn around”.
He said the tumours in his chest decreased by 30% to 40% after three treatments of Enhertu and he had “no more metastases on (his) spine”, and he learned he had “no metabolic sign of cancer” in his body after six treatments. Mat will continue receiving treatment but is now planning some other trips with Rachel, who he will marry in February next year, and he said he has more of an “appreciation for the small things” in life.
He said his family and friends have been hugely supportive, as well as the Men’s VMU – a male-dedicated support group for men diagnosed with breast cancer – which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. He would urge other men to check their bodies, advocate for themselves and try to stay positive, and he hopes more treatments become available to treat breast cancer in the near future.
“The word ‘breast’ is always seen as a female word, but men have breast tissue,” he said. “It’s about making people understand that men get breast cancer and demystifying it for people.”
Speaking of the Men’s VMU, Mat added: “It makes such a difference having people there who have been and gone through, or are going through, what you are, and learning from their experiences. It makes the world feel a little less lonely.”
Ross McLean, consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “While breast cancer in men is rare, they are at a 65% higher risk of having distant disease at presentation compared to women – 11.5% versus 6.9%.
“Unfortunately the late diagnosis is often due to a lack of awareness and delayed presentation. Mathew’s story is a powerful and timely reminder of this reality. It is therefore incredibly heartening to see that, despite his advanced diagnosis, Mathew has taken such a proactive approach – researching his condition and most importantly connecting with the Men’s VMU.
“The Men’s VMU’s peer support is invaluable, providing a crucial lifeline both emotionally and mentally. His positive attitude in the face of such aggressive treatment is truly inspirational.”
To find out more about the Men’s VMU, visit: w ww.themensvmu.org.
