Male Breast Cancer

Male Breast Cancer is Rare.

Most of the coverage of breast cancer focuses on women. This is not surprising, as women are about 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men. Unlike most of the cases of female breast cancer, the majority of cases of male breast cancer are triggered by a mutation on one of the two 'breast cancer' genes, BRCA1 or BRCA2. There are a couple of other tumor suppressing genes that can get mutations as well.

Most cases of male breast cancer happen to men between ages 60 and 70. The initial symptoms are much the same for men as they are for women. You might have a dimpling in the skin, or a hard bump on your skin. You might have nipple discharge. As with any kind of cancer, the symptoms are a sign of cells growing faster than surrounding tissues.

Many doctors used to think that male breast cancer was more dangerous than female breast cancer. Now it is thought that if it's detected early enough, it is as treatable as female breast cancer. You will have most of the same treatment options with male breast cancer. Unfortunately, since male breast cancer is so rare, it is often not detected until the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.

While there are risk factors that make you more likely to get breast cancer, male diagnoses are still very rare. There are fewer than 1500 cases diagnosed every year.

If you have more than one of the factors below in your medical history, you should probably have regular breast cancer screenings. Talk to your doctor about it, and don't be shy about it. If you're a guy, talking to your doctor about breast cancer can be awkward. However, this is nothing compared to the benefits of early detection.

Risk factors for male breast cancer

First, if a first degree blood relative (daughter, sister, mother, aunt, first cousin) had or has breast cancer, you are at risk. This is especially true if they were diagnosed early in life, especially before the age of 50. About 1 male breast cancer patient in five has a female blood relative who also had it.

Second, there's the matter of age. Nearly all breast cancer cases in men happen after the age of 60. Most cases are diagnosed between the ages of 65 and 67. Depending on the kind of life you've lived, this can be the most influential risk factor.

Really, these boil down to about three things.

1. Exposure to estrogen, or estrogen-like compounds.

"While there are risk factors that make you more likely to get breast cancer, in men, it's still very rare."

Some herbal supplements trigger estrogen production in men and women, and all men produce some estrogen in trace amounts, just like all women product testosterone in trace amounts. If you're on estrogen as part of a medical condition or gender changing operation, you're at a greater risk for breast cancer. (Though, again, 'greater risk' is relative. As a man, your risk is low.)

2. Radiation exposure.

If you had chest X-rays as a child or early teenager, the odds of you developing male breast cancer are higher. In recent years, chest X-rays have gotten a lot less common in favor of other methods.

3. Obesity and Alcohol.

While the link hasn't been completely correlated, males who have cirrhosis of the liver or consume large amounts of alcohol are likelier to die of breast cancer. Likewise, obesity is somewhat linked to male breast cancer. In both cases, staying a healthy weight and avoiding alcohol are good ideas.

Treatment options for male breast cancer

If you do come up with male breast cancer, you have several treatment options. You might have a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy if it's already spread to surrounding tissues. The five year survival rate for breast cancer in men is lower than it is in women. However, this is largely due to the shorter life expectancy of men in general, and the advanced age at which the disease is diagnosed.

Either way, don't think you are immune to breast cancer. Ask your doctor about it, especially if you hit more than one of the risks listed above.