Male Breast Cancer (MBC) is a rare but present health concern in our society today, and accounts for less approximately 0.5% – 1% of all breast cancers in the United States. Approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed with MBC each year. Because it is such a rare condition, research is extremely limited on several fronts.
Risk factors for MBC are similar to female breast cancer, including aging, family history, obesity, lack of exercise, exposure to radiation, and hormone imbalance among others.
MBC often presents first as a painless lump underneath the nipple or areola. Oftentimes men are diagnosed with a greater delay than their female counterparts. This could be due to poor awareness of the disease, but is simply speculation. As a result, most studies suggest that men are diagnosed with higher stage tumors and have a poorer prognosis (likely outcome) overall. However when matched by stage (of cancer) and age, men seem to have a similar or better prognosis than women. Early diagnosis is extremely important, as the stage of the tumor when it’s identified tends to be a strong indicator of the patient’s likely outcome. In other words, survival is most likely when tumors are caught in their early stages.
MBC can be diagnosed by using physical exam, mammography, and ultrasound. One study suggests that fine-needle aspiration (biopsy) can be utilized to determine whether or not a tumor is malignant. Using MRI for diagnostic imaging is not known to be effective or ineffective at this time.
Treatment options for men are very similar to those in women, which include removal of the lump (lumpectomy), removal of all the breast tissue (mastectomy), radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Because so little research has been conducted to specifically target MBC, treatment protocols are largely based off of treatment protocols used for female patients. MBC is so rare that the opportunity for large-population studies is simply not present at this time.
It is recommended that if anyone who notices anything unusual about their breast tissue (whether male or female), to see your physician immediately. As discussed earlier in a previous paragraph, early recognition could mean the difference between a positive and negative outcome.
Click here to find out how to perform a self-breast examination if you are male.
Click here to find out how to perform a self-breast examination if you are female.
All information in this article was summarized and/or quoted directly from the literature review by Ruddy & Winer, 2013 unless otherwise specified. This literature review was conducted systematically by Ruddy and Winer to “identify studies relevant to male breast cancer between 1987 and 2012 and including at least 20 patients.” 171 Articles were cited in their references section.
Reference:
Ruddy, K.J. & Winer, E.P. Annals of Oncology 24: 1434–1443, 2013. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdt025 Published online 20 February 2013