Breast Cancer in Men
Introduction
Although males do not have breasts like women, they have a certain amount of breast tissue and can still get breast cancer. Male breasts are very similar to the female breast before puberty, but unlike the female breasts that grow and develop during puberty, the male breast doesn’t (Martins, 2019).
The risk of a man developing breast cancer in his lifetime is 1 per 1,000, and this is probably because men are less likely to be suspicious of something strange in that area. In 2021, about 2,650 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease, and an estimated 530 men are expected to die from breast cancer (American Cancer Society, 2021).
Risk factors:
- Getting older
- Genetic mutation
- Family history of breast cancer in male and female relatives
- History of radiation exposure of the chest
- Taking estrogen
- A rare genetic condition called Klinefelter’s syndrome
- Severe liver disease, called cirrhosis
- Diseases of the testicles such as mumps orchitis, or an undescended testicle
- Enlarged breasts
- Overweight and Obesity (Martins, 2019).
All men can lower their risk with a healthy weight and exercise.
Symptoms of breast cancer in men:
- Lump or thickening in the breast tissue
- Dimpling, puckering, redness or scaling of skin around the breast.
- Nipple discharge.
- Changes to your nipple, such as redness or scaling and pain (CDC, 2021).
Diagnosis and treatment:
Diagnosed by physical exams, mammograms and biopsies.
Treatments:
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Radiation therapy
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Surgery
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Hormone therapy
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Chemotherapy
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Targeted therapy (MayoClinic, 2020).