Gynecomastia

Merle Yost endured taunts and cruel nicknames as a young man, all because he developed a condition called gynecomastia, or abnormal growth of male breast tissue. "I was this skinny little boy with this big chest who got tortured," recalls Yost, 45, now a psychotherapist in Oakland. Other boys groped him, while girls offered their bras. He grew to dread hearing the phrase "shirts and skins" during gym class.

Merle Yost endured taunts and cruel nicknames as a young man, all because he developed a condition called gynecomastia, or abnormal growth of male breast tissue. "I was this skinny little boy with this big chest who got tortured," recalls Yost, 45, now a psychotherapist in Oakland. Other boys groped him, while girls offered their bras. He grew to dread hearing the phrase "shirts and skins" during gym class.

Breast cancer not only affects women: about 900 cases of breast cancer in men were diagnosed in the United States in 1989, contrasted with about 150,000 for women. "The association of cancer and the female breast is so strong that its occurrence in men may be overlooked until the disease is at an advanced stage," said Dr. Daniel F. Roses, a cancer surgeon at New York University Medical Center. "Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to provide the best prognosis."

Question: Please tell me about drug-induced gynecomastia (breast enlargement in men). Taking Haldol has caused weight gain and given me breasts that now resemble those of the opposite sex. My doctor says that if I lose weight through diet and exercise, this abnormality will disappear. I have been dieting for two years with no change in the size of my chest. Will dieting ever help, or do I need cosmetic surgery?

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday warned menopausal women using Evamist to avoid allowing children and pets to come into contact with the drug. Evamist contains the estrogen hormone estradiol and is sprayed on the forearms between the elbow and wrist to reduce hot flashes. The FDA said it has received eight reports of adverse effects from exposure to the drug in children ages 3 to 5, and two reports of problems with pets. Young girls who came into contact with the drug reported symptoms of premature puberty, including development of breast buds and breast mass.

Anabolic steroids, tissue-building substances that are taken by athletes to aid performances, have been used in sports for almost four decades. Anabolic steroids enable the body to maintain an improved nitrogen balance, which aids in the protein synthesis--the key to tissue and muscle growth. Athletes say the combination of new tissue with rigorous training exercises enables them to perform better. Steroids, the synthetic derivative of the male hormone testosterone, were developed in the 1950s.

"Grey's Anatomy" 9 p.m. Oct. 21, ABC Episode: "Almost Grown" The premise Chief of Surgery Dr. Richard Webber ( James Pickens Jr.) puts Seattle Grace Hospital's senior residents in charge for a day while he meets with the attendings about ways to spend a $1-million grant. Resident Jackson Avery ( Jesse Williams) places a shunt tube into a patient's brain to relieve pressure that is causing headaches and ringing in the ears, but when the tube slips, seasoned neurosurgeon Derek Shephard ( Patrick Dempsey)

"Numb3rs," CBS, April 13, 10 p.m. The premise: Vick Johnson, a baseball star coming off two injury-ridden seasons, is trying to make a comeback. But, stretching a double into a triple, he dies sliding into third base. An autopsy determines that he died of a massive brain hemorrhage and that his blood contains an artificial, difficult-to-trace anabolic-androgenic steroid called thorocycline.

Anabolic steroids, synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone, stimulate a buildup of muscle mass, tissue and protein in the body. The hormones are both androgenic, masculinizing agents, and anabolic, muscle-building agents. The drugs are legally given to cancer patients, burn victims and geriatric patients suffering from brittle bones. They also are being taken by football players, basketball players, shotputters, swimmers or people just hoping to sculpt Adonis-like physiques.

Ben Johnson's coach said today that he was concerned by a medical report indicating the Canadian sprinter has an enlarged breast, a mild side effect of prolonged anabolic steroid use. Testifying for an eighth and final day at a government inquiry into drug use in amateur sport, Charlie Francis was asked by Justice Charles Dubin, who heads the inquiry, if he was aware Johnson had an enlarged left breast.

THE MAN WHO GREW TWO BREASTS and Other True Tales of Medical Detection by Berton Roueche (Dutton: $21.95; 197 pp.) Doctors make mistakes. Hospitals too. (One is reminded of the man who submitted a specimen only to learn from the lab that his "horse has diabetes.") Mistakes make news. Successes have been lost in the shuffle, unless they came under the scrutiny of the late Berton Roueche.