Male breast cancer is a rare cancer that forms in the breast tissue of men.
Though breast cancer is most commonly thought of as a woman’s disease, male breast cancer does occur.
Male breast cancer is most common in older men, though it can occur at any age.
Men diagnosed with male breast cancer at an early stage have a good chance for a cure.
Many men delay seeing their doctors if they notice one of the usual signs or symptoms, such as a breast lump.
For this reason, many male breast cancers are diagnosed when the disease is more advanced.
What are the different types of male breast cancer?
The most common type of male breast cancer is infiltrating ductal carcinoma, which is also a common type of breast cancer in women.
Ductal carcinoma refers to cancers with origins in the ducts (tubular structures) of the breast, and the term infiltrating means that the cancer cells have spread beyond the ducts into the surrounding tissue.
On the other hand, lobular cancers (cancers of the milk glands), common in women, are extremely rare in men since male breast tissue does not normally contain milk glands.
Other uncommon types of cancers of the breast that have been reported in men include ductal carcinoma in situ (cancer in the ducts that has not spread beyond the ducts), cystosarcoma phylloides (a type of cancer of the connective tissue surrounding the ducts), and Paget’s disease of the breast (a cancer involving the skin of the nipple).
Some other types of breast cancer that occur in men are named for their growth patterns and microscopic appearance of the cancer cells, including papillary carcinoma, inflammatory carcinoma, and medullary carcinoma.
What are male breast cancer symptoms and signs?
The most common sign of breast cancer in men is a firm, nonpainful mass located just under the nipple.
There may not be other associated symptoms. The average size of breast cancer in men when first discovered is about 2.5 cm in width.
The cancer may cause skin changes in the area of the nipple. These changes can include the skin getting dimples, redness, scaling, itching of the nipple; or turning inward of the nipple.
Bloody or pus discharge from the nipple may also occur. Less than one percent of cases occur on both sides.
Breast cancer that has spread to the bones may also produce bone pain at the sites of spreading.
Advanced breast cancer can also produce symptoms typical of many cancers, including, weakness, and weight loss.
Breast cancer in men can spread too many other organs and cause other symptoms as well.
How is male breast cancer diagnosed?
Diagnosis of breast cancer requires identifying cancer cells in tissue specimens obtained by taking a sample of the growth also called a “mass” or “tumor” – by the technique of biopsy.
Since men have little breast tissue, cancers in male breasts are easily located by feel and are easily accessible to biopsy.
What is the treatment for male breast cancer?
Like breast cancer in women, treatment depends upon the stage of the cancer and the overall physical condition of the patient.
Treatments are the same as for breast cancer in women. Most men diagnosed with breast cancer are initially treated by surgery.
A modified radical mastectomy (removal of the breast, lining over the chest muscles, and portions of the underarm ) is the most common surgical treatment of male breast cancer.
Sometimes portions of the muscles of the chest wall are also removed. After surgery, adjuvant therapies are often prescribed.
These are recommended especially if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes (node-positive cancer).
Adjuvant therapies include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy.
In cases of metastatic cancer, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or a combination of both, are generally recommended.
