What is male breast cancer?
Breast cancer is defined as the abnormal growth of cells in the breast tissue.
Breast cancer affects women and men, as both have breast tissue. In men, most of the breast tissue is located behind the nipple.
How common is male breast cancer?
Male breast cancer is uncommon. About 1 in 550 Australian men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, with approximately 200 men diagnosed in Australia with breast cancer each year.
What are the risks for male breast cancer?
There are some factors which can place a man at risk for male breast cancer. These can include-
- Having an inherited mutation such as BRCA1 and BRCA2
- Family history of breast cancer in first degree relatives who have the BRCA2 breast cancer.
- First degree relatives who have been diagnosed with prostate, ovarian or colon cancer.
- Increasing age
- Some testicular disorders, such as undescended testes, or prior orchiectomy
- Higher levels of oestrogen
- Klinefelter’s syndrome
- Some lifestyle factors- being overweight or obese, lack of physical exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption.
What are the symptoms of male breast cancer?
The symptoms of breast cancer are often similar for men and women. These can include-
- Breast lump
- Change in nipple shape
- Dimpling of the skin on the breast
- Nipple discharge
- Swollen lymph nodes in the armpit region
How is male breast cancer diagnosed?
Male breast cancer is diagnosed the same way women are.
Mammogram– which is low-dose x-ray imaging of the breast tissue.
Breast ultrasound– the use of soundwaves to create images of the breast
Biopsy– where a small sample of breast tissue is collected by a needle[JM1] . The tissue specimen is sent to a pathology lab for examination.
What are the treatments for male breast cancer?
The treatments for breast cancer will depend on the type of breast cancer and the stage of the disease when diagnosed. Treatments also take in account other health issues the man already has.
Treatments can include,
Surgery- a common treatment for male breast cancer is a mastectomy, which is removal of the breast tissue including the nipple and the area surrounding the nipple. The lymph nodes in the armpit may be tested for involvement of cancer and removed during surgery as well
Radiotherapy- uses strong x-rays to radiate or zap cancerous cells and kill them. Radiotherapy is sometimes used following a mastectomy or after breast-conserving therapy.
Hormone blocking therapy- are used as treatment for ‘hormone receptor-positive breast cancer’. Hormone blocking therapy usually requires taking a tablet every day for 5-years or longer. For men, Tamoxifen is the drug treatment often prescribed.
Chemotherapy- are a class of drugs used to kill cancerous cells which may have spread to other parts of the body. They are often used after surgery to reduce the chance of cancer returning.
Targeted therapies- are a group of drugs which are used in specific types of breast cancer and work differently to chemotherapy.
Expert Opinion: Dr Jeremy Mo, Medical Oncologist at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre.
- Male breast cancer is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers.
- Male breast cancers tend to be larger and associated with lymph nodes when compared to female breast cancers, which may be due to under-recognition.
- Male breast cancer is more likely to be hormone-receptor positive compared to female breast cancer.
