This is the last installment of a
three-part series on breast cancer.
Breast cancer strikes most often when men are
in their 60s.
Male breast cancer? Men do have breast cells
that can become cancerous.
The disease is uncommon in men. It represents
only 1 percent of all breast cancers. Because of its rarity, many men aren’t
aware it exists, and that’s a problem.
For unknown reasons, the incidence of male
breast cancer has been increasing. About 2,000 men in the United States are
diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Young boys and girls have a small amount of
breast tissue made up of a few ducts. At puberty, female hormones in girls make
breast ducts grow, milk glands form and fat increases. The male hormones in
boys prevent further growth of breast tissue. Men’s breast tissue contains
ducts, but only a few if any lobules.
The most common symptom of male breast cancer
is the same as it is for women — a lump. Other signs include: skin
dimpling, a new indentation of the nipple, redness or scaling of breast skin or
a clear or bloody discharge from the nipple.
Some risk factors for male breast cancer are:
• Age — the average age for a man
diagnosed with breast cancer is 67.
• Family — about 20 percent of men with
breast cancer are related to someone with the disease.
• Genes — About 7 percent of breast
cancers in men are inherited.
• Radiation — There’s a higher risk to
men who underwent chest radiation treatments when they were younger.
• Klinefelter Syndrome — Men with this
syndrome make lower levels of male hormones — androgens — and other
female hormones. This can cause gynecomastia, benign breast enlargement. Men
with this condition may be at greater risk of breast cancer.
Many medicines used to treat ulcers, high
blood pressure, and heart failure can cause gynecomastia, too.
• Estrogen — The risk is small for men
who take estrogen, the most-used female hormone. Estrogen drugs may be used to
treat prostate cancer.
• Liver disease — This can increase
your risk of gynecomastia and breast cancer.
• Obesity — Fat cells convert androgens
into estrogen.
• Alcohol — Drinking alcohol raises the
odds that a man will develop breast cancer.
The risk increases with the amount of alcohol
consumed.
If a man has a family history of the disease,
he should consult a doctor about regular testing. Diagnostic tests for men
include a clinical breast exam, mammograms, ultrasound, biopsy and sometimes a
nipple discharge exam.
Breast cancer treatment for men is similar to
that given to women. Some men may need only surgery. Others will need surgery
and radiation, chemotherapy or hormone therapy.
There isn’t much tissue in a man’s breast, so
removing the cancer usually means excising most of the tissue. The procedures
that are used on women to save breast tissue aren’t practicable for men.
Most men with breast cancer require a
modified radical mastectomy.
In this procedure, a surgeon removes the
entire breast and some underarm lymph nodes, but leaves chest muscles intact.
If you have a question, please write to fred@healthygeezer.com.