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Male Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is rare in men. The lifetime risk for developing male breast cancer in Australia is 1 in 1343, while the risk in women is 1 in 11.

The cause of breast cancer in men is unclear, but a man’s risk increases with a family history of male breast cancer or a strong family history of breast cancer.

The most common symptom of breast cancer in men is a painless lump in the chest area, which is usually discovered by the man himself. Nipple discharge, retractions or inversions, skin ulceration, lumps under the arm, or redness of the skin are also common signs and symptoms that may occur.

Due to breast cancer being much more common in women, many men do not even realize that they can also develop this disease. This can delay diagnosis and as a result, the cancer is not found until the very last stage.

Because the male breast is much smaller than the female breast, it is more likely the disease will spread to the chest wall. Therefore, it is very important to find the cancer early in order to successfully treat it.

There are several factors that may contribute to an increase in a man’s risk of getting breast cancer.

These include:

1.    Getting older
2.    Having family members (male or female) with breast cancer, especially with a BRCA 2 mutation
3.    Prolonged exposure to radiation treatment, usually for cancer treatment such as Hodgkin’s disease
4.    Chronic liver disorders
5.    Having a genetic condition such as Klinefelter’s syndrome

The breast cancer diagnosis process used in men, are similar to those used in women. The process includes a complete medical history, clinical breast examination, mammograms and biopsy.

The staging system and patterns of how the disease spreads, as well as the types of breast cancer found in men, are similar to those found in women. Therefore, treatments of breast cancer in men are also similar to treatments of breast cancer in women. A mastectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the cancerous tumor is the common treatment of choice for men. Chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapies are also used following surgery.

See your doctor if you have any persistent lumps or changes in your chest area.