Tyler Mane has revealed that he has breast cancer and has started chemotherapy, using the diagnosis to warn men not to ignore symptoms that are easy to dismiss.
The actor and former professional wrestler, best known to movie audiences as Sabretooth in 2000’s X-Men, shared the update in a social media video this week. Mane, 59, said he first wanted to keep the diagnosis private because he felt embarrassed, then changed his mind after learning how rarely male breast cancer is discussed.
“Yep. I have breast cancer. And yep, it’s super rare,” Mane wrote, according to The Guardian. He said breast cancer in men accounts for about 1% of breast cancer cases and argued that the silence around it can lead men to be diagnosed later than they should be.
Mane said his own diagnosis came after his wife, Renae Geerlings, pushed him to keep pursuing answers about a lump. The actor is now telling followers to talk about male breast cancer more openly and to get breast changes checked instead of assuming the disease cannot affect men.
Mane Said His Wife Pushed Him to Get the Lump Removed
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Mane wrote that doctors initially dismissed the lump, but Geerlings urged him to have it removed anyway. “It was only because my wife pushed me to get the lump removed that I got in early,” he wrote, adding that men are often diagnosed at later stages because breast cancer is “not talked about and not looked for.”
Entertainment Weekly reported that Mane said he started chemotherapy the same day he announced the diagnosis. In a follow-up update, he thanked followers for their support and said he is scheduled for four rounds of chemotherapy over 12 weeks.
“Because it’s rarely talked about, it’s usually found at later stages and has worse outcomes,” Mane said in the video, according to EW. “I want to change that.”
Male Breast Cancer Is Rare, but the Symptoms Can Be Missed
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2,670 men in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2026, and about 530 men will die from it. The organization lists the average lifetime risk for men at about 1 in 755.
The CDC says breast cancer in men can cause a lump or swelling in the breast, redness or flaky skin, irritation or dimpling of the breast skin, nipple discharge, or pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area. The agency also notes that those symptoms can happen with conditions that are not cancer, but people should see a doctor if they notice breast changes.
Mane’s announcement centered on that point rather than only on his own treatment. He told followers that early detection made a difference in his case because his wife pushed him to get the lump removed, and he asked people to share the message so more men understand that breast cancer can happen to them too.
The Actor Returned as Sabretooth Decades After X-Men
Mane first played Sabretooth opposite Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in X-Men, the 2000 film that helped launch the modern era of Marvel movies. More than two decades later, he returned to the role in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Outside the Marvel universe, Mane played Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s 2007 Halloween reboot and its 2009 sequel. Before moving deeper into film and television, he worked as a professional wrestler and performed on the World Championship Wrestling circuit.
Mane said he plans to keep sharing updates as he goes through treatment. “Time to answer the Wake Up Call,” he wrote.