Breast Cancer In Men

 Athough this website is devoted primarily to mens' chest problems and ways to remedy those problems, I did think it necessary to devote one article to an extremely rare but nevertheless potentially serious condition...breast cancer in men. I do not have the figures for the USA but here in the UK 250 to 300 men are diagnosed with the disease annually. This compares with 45000 or so women.

Men being men, we do tend to ignore or procrastinate when it comes to things medical rather than getting along to our doctors and as far as male breast cancer is concerned this mindset would be reinforced by the fact that most guys do not know that the condition even exists! I certainly didn't until 2 years ago when I started my research into Gynecomastia and Pseudogynecomastia.

In addition to this there is little information for us guys on the subject compared to that available to women, due probably to the fact that, for every 140 women diagnosed only one man is. Men are dying unnecessarily because of their ignorance and this lack of information. The cynic in me also concludes that, because most male breast cancer involves men over 65, very little government money is going to be spent on raising awareness.

Let's have a look at the causes:

• Genetic...parents can pass on specific genetic mutations to their offspring.
• Hormone treatments...from synthetic estrogen used to treat prostate cancer.
• Obesity...obese guys have greater levels of estrogen.
• Klinefelters Syndrome...baby boys who are born with much higher levels of estrogen are twenty times more likely to develop breast cancer.
• Hot Environments...such as steelworks double the risk of male breast cancer. Current thinking is that excess heat may damage the testicles or that exposure to chemicals may be to blame.
• Soap and Perfume Manufacturing Plants... gives men seven times the risk.
• Radiation Exposure...over a long period, particularly when young.
• Chronic Liver Conditions...producing too much estrogen which in turn may lead to male breast cancer.

Having looked at the main causes what should men be looking for in terms of symptoms? There are seven main ones:

• A Lump in the breast[the most common].
• Nipple Retraction...where the nipple starts turning in on itself.
• Nipple Discharge...leakage of fluid, sometimes bloodstained.
• Nipple Ulceration...it becomes hard, inflamed or sore-looking.
• Lumps under the arm...in the lymph nodes.
• Breast Pain.
• Bone Pain.

All thru' this website I am at pains to stress the importance of getting to your doctor as soon as any symptoms appear. He/She will want to visually examine your chest and armpit area. The next step is to have a mammogram[breast x-ray], followed by an ultrasound probe, both of these building up a visual picture. The last step is a Biopsy where a sample tissue is removed from the breast and sent to the laboratory for testing. These tests will show whether cancer cells are present and whether they have spread.

Your treatment options are fourfold:

• Surgery..the number one treatment where the breast is removed, followed by reconstructive surgery using tissue from other parts of the body.
• Radiotherapy...this usually follows surgery to lower the risk of cancer cells re-growing.
• Hormone therapy...can be used in many cancers and are either Tamoxifen or Aromatase Inhibitors.
• Chemotherapy...usually after surgery or on incurable cancer to slow the spread.

Treatments 2 to 4 will, of course, have side effects.

Healthcare Professionals have a 5-year survival rate outlook/assessment regarding male breast cancer, as follows:

• Early stage male breast cancer...75 to 100 %
• Mid stage male breast cancer...50 to 80%
• Advanced male breast cancer...30 to 60%

Let's finish on a positive note - the vast majority of guys' chest problems are going to be Gynecomastia or Pseudogynecomastia. Both conditions can be successfully dealt with and are not life threatening. Have a look at my other articles on the menu.