What to know about male breast cancer

Male breast cancer is a relatively rare cancer, but it is one that doctors often diagnose in the later stages. Knowing how to recognise the symptoms can help a person get early treatment.

Male breast cancer accounts for fewer than one percent of all diagnoses worldwide.

A male’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about one in 833 according to cancer experts.

The outlook for male breast cancer is excellent if diagnosis occurs in its early stages. However, early diagnosis is not always possible.

One factor in diagnosis delay is a lack of awareness. Although many females know how to look out for changes that could indicate breast cancer, there is less awareness among males, which means that they may be less likely to seek help in the early stages.

Breast cancer can also affect males differently, as they have less breast tissue than females. This can make it easier to detect small lumps, but it also means that the cancer has less room to grow within the breast. As a result, it may spread more quickly to nearby tissues.

For these and other reasons, around 40 percent of males with breast cancer receive a diagnosis in stage three or four, when the condition has already spread to other parts of the body.

As a result, overall survival rates are lower for males than they are for females.

Learn more about how to recognize male breast cancer and what to do if changes occur here.

Symptoms

Some possible symptoms of male breast cancer include:

A lump in one breast, which is usually painless
Nipple retraction, ulceration, and discharge
Skin puckering or dimpling on the breast
Discoloration or scaling of the skin on the breast or nipple

If cancer spreads, additional symptoms may include:

Swelling in the lymph nodes in or near the underarm area
Breast pain
Bone pain

IT is important for men to seek help as soon as a person notices any changes in the breast. Early stage breast cancer responds well to treatment.

Diagnostic methods and treatment options have improved during the past few years, so the chances of living for at least five years after diagnosis are probably higher than the above figures for people currently receiving a diagnosis.

Tests and diagnosis

If a person notices changes in their breast, they should contact a doctor.

The doctor will ask about symptoms and the individual’s personal and family medical history, including any history of estrogen use or radiation therapy. They will also carry out a physical examination.

They may also suggest the following tests

a mammogram
An unltrasound
a nipple discharge test
a biopsy

Sometimes, the doctor will recommend removing a lump and carrying out a biopsy at the same time. A surgeon may only remove a part of the area that appears to be affected and carry out a test. Alternatively, they may remove the whole area, including some of the normal breast tissue surrounding it.

Treatment

If the test results show that cancer is present, several treatment options are available. The choice will depend on how big the tumour is and whether or not the cancer has spread to other areas.

Treatment will also depend on histological findings, such as whether or not the cancer is hormone-positive and if certain proteins are over expressed.

A doctor will often take a person’s treatment preferences into consideration when creating their treatment plan.

Surgery

Some surgical options include:

Mastectomy The surgeon removes the whole breast and some of the surrounding tissue.