Story by Greenville Utilities Commission Communications
Tracy Colville, Water Resources Systems operations/maintenance crew leader at Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC), found a one-inch knot on his chest during the summer. He assumed that it would eventually go away, but a week later it was still there. Tracy went to see ECU Health physician Dr. Daniel Terryberry at the on-site GUC Clinic operated by ECU Health.
Dr. Daniel Terryberry
Dr. Terryberry suspected it could be cancerous and sent Tracy to Eastern Radiology for a mammogram and ultrasound. The tests showed what was suspected of being a highly malignant form of breast cancer, but only a biopsy would confirm those suspicions.
“I couldn’t get an appointment for three weeks,” Tracy said. Dr. Terryberry believed the timeframe was too long to wait for the biopsy and told Tracy he would make a call. “The next day I had an appointment for a biopsy.”
The diagnosis was invasive ductal carcinoma. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is the most common form of breast cancer in males, and only around 2,800 men are diagnosed with breast cancer annually in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 19 percent of those men will die.
Post-diagnosis, Tracy underwent genetic testing to determine if he was a carrier of the breast cancer gene. To his relief, he is not and will not pass it down to his children. Because of the rarity of breast cancer in men, this had not been a concern for Tracy. His timely visit to the GUC Clinic is what afforded him a positive prognosis.
“He really helped me out,” Tracy said about Dr. Terryberry. “You might want to go over there. They have ways to get you the health services you need sooner.”
Within a month, Tracy received a diagnosis and had the cancerous mass removed. Currently, he is doing well and undergoing physical therapy to help with side effects of the surgery.
“I can’t really complain about that. At least I am living,” he said.