In an evident attempt to draw public attention to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Peter Criss - founding member and ex-drummer of KISS rock band - made a startling revelation that a tough rocker like him is a breast cancer survivor!

In an article in Rolling Stone magazine, Criss, who in 1972 founded the KISS band with Gene Simmons, Paul Eisen, and Paul Stanley, noted that even 'macho' men can suffer from breast cancer - a cancer that is generally associated with women.

The 63-year-old Criss, who is cancer-free now, said that he discovered a lump in his left nipple in December 2007. On being diagnosed of breast cancer, he underwent a lumpectomy in February 2008, followed by a mastectomy a month later, under the care of Dr. Alex Swistel, director of New York's Weill Cornell Breast Center.

Saying that men should get over their assumption that breast cancer is only a woman's disease, Criss remarked: "It can happen to you, and when it does, if you don't deal with it right away, with your 'dude' and your metal and your tattoos, you'll go in the box and we'll see you."

Corroborating Criss' caution to men, the estimates brought forth by the American Cancer Society reveal there will be nearly 1,910 new male breast cancer cases this year, and almost 440 US men are likely to fall prey to the disease.