My friend twisted my nipple on a boys’ night out — he saved my life

Robert doesn’t believe he would’ve discovered his cancer without his friend (Picture: Robert Pfleghardt / SWNS) When Robert Pfleghardt, 62, was on a boys’ night out in Las Vegas in 2021, his friend inadvertently saved his life. ‘He’d probably say I started it, but my friend reached over to me and gave me a “titty twister” – where he pinched my nipple. It really hurt,’ Robert from Vienna, Virginia, says. He tried to ignore the pain, but over the next week he was still rubbing his chest where it hurt. That’s when he felt a lump. The lump in question turned out to be breast cancer which had spread to his lymph nodes. Around 420 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year, accounting for less than 1% of all diagnoses. Men have breast tissue around the nipple area and can develop breast cancer this way and typically it’s known as invasive ductal carcinoma NST. ‘The lump was the size of an eraser and it was right next to my nipple,’ Robert, a retired accountant who’s working on a new businesses called VoraPrep, explains. ‘It was kind of weird but I just blew it off. Guys don’t get breast cancer, so I thought nothing of it. ‘But it was playing on my mind so I went to get it checked out. I go in, and a nurse practitioner takes a look. Immediately she says it’s something we need to aggressively research. ‘Then things moved really really quickly.’ Robert Pfleghardt (left) with friends at an oxygen bar in Las Vegas (Picture: Robert Pfleghardt / SWNS) Robert was told he needed a mammogram to determine whether the lump was cancerous or not. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘It was really weird getting a mammogram, you kind of laugh,’ he recalls. ‘They called out for Mrs Pfleghardt instead of Mr Pfleghardt. They said “man coming through” because there were a lot of women, and some of them were getting scans with their tops off.’ He found the process quite ‘weird’, and then a woman walked in to give him his results with ‘tears in her eyes’. ‘She said it was breast cancer and they were concerned it had spread to my lymph nodes,’ he says. ‘I laughed a little at first. I thought that’s kind off funny for a dude to have breast cancer. I probably weigh around 180, I’m not heavy, I don’t have man boobs or anything.’ But when the news sank in, the reality of battling breast cancer that had likely spread was a lot to deal with. ‘I was like a deer in the headlights. I just went into zombie mode,’ Robert admits. ‘I didn’t know what to do, but the nurses and doctors were so kind. They booked everything for me, all the scans, appointments everything.’ Over Christmas of 2021, Robert underwent further tests to determine whether the cancer had spread, keeping it a secret from his children, in-laws and family. ‘It was just me and my wife who knew,’ he says. ‘It was Christmas time, I didn’t want to ruin it.’ The tests confirmed the cancer had spread to one lymph node, so doctors recommended a double mastectomy and a removal of 19 lymph nodes. Robert’s skin went dark and crispy with radiation (Picture: Robert Pfleghardt / SWNS) ‘It was happening so quickly, and I was scared, I had never had surgery. The concept of someone cutting into my chest was intimidating. ‘So based on my nerves, I chose a lumpectomy instead. If I could go back now I’d probably have got the mastectomy.’ A lumpectomy removes the breast tumour and a small bit of healthy tissue surrounding it, while a mastectomy removes the entirety of the breast. On January 21 2022, Robert was ‘extremely nervous and scared’ when he had surgery, but was out of hospital within a couple of days. ‘I had a big dent in my armpit and a ball hanging off the side of me that was collecting all the juices,’ he explains. ‘They felt that the lumpectomy had really clear lines – it was just one mass – not like a spider web, which was a good sign.’ He then had 29 days of radiation which ‘literally looked like it cooked’ him, turning his chest from its usual colour to a ‘crispy brown’. Symptoms of breast cancer in men lump in the breast that is nearly always painless oozing from the nipple (a discharge) 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 Source: Cancer Research Afterwards, Robert was put on Tamoxifen – a drug used to prevent breast cancer. ‘I was reading all the side effects and they said: “may cause hot flashes”, “may impact menopause“, “may cause uncomfortable dryness”,’ he says. ‘Obviously none of that stuff was relevant to me.’ Robert is now preparing for his next full-body scan on October 1, 2026, to check is the cancer has spread anymore and if he needs to go back on medication. Robert Pfleghardt, post-recovery without his nipple (Picture: Robert Pfleghardt / SWNS) ‘But I’m actually really positive, of course I’m excited just to have answers and a path, but I’m 99% sure everything will be as expected,’ he says. Robert now wants people to be more aware of the dangers of breast cancer in men, because it’s more common than we realise. ‘I think a lot more men get breast cancer than they know and it spreads without them realising,’ he says. ‘People don’t know they can get it. And they don’t know what to look for.’ Deals of the Day I tried L'Oréal Paris's new PDRN serum and my skin looked glossier after one use This new Cricut gadget turns your favourite photos into stickers in minutes From kitchen hatches to burgundy walls – the biggest home trends for 2027 Oodie’s cosy blanket sale has arrived just in time for Christmas shopping Save over £700 on Simba's top-rated mattresses in this limited-time sale ‘Me and my buddy joke about it now, you know, how we found it. But he saved my life,’ Robert adds. ‘Boys trips save lives.’ Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: I had to interrupt sex to watch Practical Magic with my terrified boyfriend Arrow MORE: Holland & Barrett shoppers can save up to 50% on skincare, supplements and wellness buys Arrow MORE: The ‘intensely arousing’ 2010 sex trend about to surge in popularity among men The Slice Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.