A lot of men probably think they are safe from breast cancer, and that it is a woman's disease they will never develop.

Mercer County District Attorney Jim Epstein said he used to be one of those men. That is, until July 2001, when he learned a lump on his chest was a malignant tumor.

It was Epstein's wife, Mary Anne, who convinced him to have a doctor look at what he thought was a fatty tumor "associated with the aging process."

"There was a lump, but I didn't attribute a lot of significance to it," he said. "My fiancee (at the time) attributed a lot of significance to it. She said I should go to the doctor and take it very seriously."

The chances of a man developing breast cancer are slim. In 1995 about 1,400 men developed breast cancer, which accounted for just under 1 percent of new breast cancer cases diagnosed that year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Epstein went to the doctor thinking the odds against him having breast cancer were great. But a mammogram and a sonogram found three malignant growths, one very close to the lymph nodes under his arm.

"Getting it is like being in the lottery almost ... because the odds are so much against men getting that type of cancer," he said. "We're drilled to look for other types of cancer, like prostate cancer."

Epstein was fortunate that his cancer was caught early, and that it had not spread. He said his wife saved his life.

"Early detection of any cancer is one of the keys to surviving it and dealing with it," he said. "(Men) are not trained or conditioned to look (for breast cancer.) Not looking can have catastrophic consequences. In my case I was lucky ... I'm lucky because my wife was insistent."

Last July, Epstein said he had the session with his doctor that everyone fears, when the doctor calmly tells the patient the cancer is malignant.

"That's the moment when you feel like a death sentence has been passed," Epstein said.

But, on the flip side, Epstein recently had another memorable meeting with his doctor who said the cancer was gone.

"At the end, when the doctor says no cancer is there, there is nothing like hearing those words," he said. "It's like you've been given a new lease on life. A chance to start over."

Before he beat the cancer, Epstein went through the same treatment regimen as a female breast cancer patient. He had a modified radical mastectomy last July, then underwent six months of chemotherapy at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh and a month of radiation treatment at Sharon Regional Health System.

"I won't minimize the side effects," Epstein said of chemotherapy, but he said the medical professionals who administer it are very aware of what the patient goes through. He said he received medication before, during and after his sessions to ease the side effects.

"I had nausea, fatigue and flu-like symptoms," he said. "The medication was very effective at controlling the symptoms. I compare it to having a low-grade flu all the time."

His wife, who lives in Wheaton, Md., flew in for every chemotherapy session.

"My wife was my strength," he said. "If ever I began to feel mopey or depressed over the whole situation, she was there. Having her there ... it's hard to describe how important it was."

Throughout the whole ordeal, Epstein continued to go to work at his office in the Mercer County Courthouse. He said it was "therapeutic" and helped him to focus.

"I decided to continue on every day with a normal life," he said. "I went in to work every day. I have a wonderful staff in Mercer. They were all very helpful to me in getting through this."

He dealt with fatigue by taking short naps and took himself off the monthly trial lists for the duration. During that time he tried a case in federal court in Pittsburgh and another case in Mercer County, but he didn't take on any new cases.

"I tried to compensate by doing other things," he said.

Through it all, Epstein said he had the support of his wife, his friends and his family. He even had support from breast cancer survivors he never met before, who reached out to him.

Epstein said he'll do the same for anyone who needs it.

"If another man is diagnosed ... I'm here too," he said. "I've been there. I'm available."

He also hopes his story will make more men aware about breast cancer.

"If a man, anyone, who might be reading this detects a lump or growth in the breast area, don't let it go," he said. "Even if the odds are against it being breast cancer ... if it is, it can kill you. Usually if it's catchable, it's curable."

Epstein's last radiation treatment was in May. He said his doctor told him he would feel gradually better every day, and one day he would wake up and feel normal again.

"For me, that was around Labor Day," he said.

But he said there probably will always be a fear that the cancer will come back.

"Every cancer survivor has the fear that it may return ... (but) you can't live your life thinking it's going to reappear," he said.

The chances are good that it won't re-appear. Epstein said the cancer has an 80 percent chance of not re-occurring in the next five years, during which he'll take follow-up medication.

"I was the district attorney, I am the district attorney, and I intend to keep on being district attorney," he added.