Male Breast Cancer: What you Need to Know
Written by Shy Villareal. She is an undergraduate student at UNCW and is a Public Health intern at Going Beyond the Pink.
Although it is more common for women to get breast cancer, men are still at risk of developing the disease. In both men and women, breast tissue has ducts. Ducts are the most common site for breast cancer to start, known as ductal carcinoma. Breast cancer may also occur in the glands that produce milk, which is known as lobular breast cancer. Although this may sound more like the female anatomy, men still have ducts and glands regardless of their functionality.
Stigma centered around male breast cancer
The stigma around breast cancer can be focused around the idea of it being a “woman's disease”. With “all things pink” and the efforts around empowering women, there is this gap between addressing men who get diagnosed with breast cancer and empowering them to fight against the sexual stigmatization that it presents. Raising awareness to others that being diagnosed with breast cancer as a male is not all just by chance. There are many factors that contribute to men being diagnosed. Whether it is genetic or hormonal, male or female, being familiar with your body is extremely important for you and your future health. Because breast cancer is rare in men, some symptoms may appear that could cause concern. Still, if you know your body and do self-checks regularly, you can rule out many possibilities and have more thorough conversations with your doctor.
Symptoms of male breast cancer
Painless lump
Inverted nipple
Discharge from the nipple
Changes in the breast like dimpling, redness, or scaling
The three most common types of breast cancer in men include:
Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) can most likely be curable with surgery. DCIS starts in the ducts but is considered “in Situ” because it hasn’t broken through the walls of the ducts to the surrounding tissues.
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC): the cancerous cells start in the milk ducts and break through the wall of the ducts, which leads to invasion of the fatty tissues of the breast. Because men often have smaller breasts than women, they are at higher risk for the cells to spread to the nipple.
Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC): Only 2% of diagnosed male breast cancers are ILC and they start in the milk producing glands (Lobules).
Surgeries men may get for breast cancer:
Mastectomy: surgery where the entire breast and some lymph nodes are removed, including the nipple. For most men it is common for the tumor to grow into the nipple and because of the location a more extensive surgery like the mastectomy is performed.
If a lumpectomy is required, only the tumor and surrounding tissue is removed. How much is removed depends on the size. Doctors will usually shave surrounding tissue out so there are no cancer cells left behind. Once surgery takes place radiation is given. This type of surgery is less common in men due to the cancerous cells normally forming behind the nipple.
Don’t confuse signs and symptoms of Male Breast Cancer with another disorder of the male breast: Gynecomastia.
Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia is caused by an imbalance of hormones, estrogen, and testosterone and is triggered when there is a decrease in the production of testosterone. As opposed to any tumor, benign or not, it can be seen as an excess amount of breast tissue. In some men, the disorder can be seen as small breasts and can affect either one or both breasts. Regardless, Gynecomastia can appear as a growth behind or under the nipple. Because Gynecomastia and breast cancer have slight similarities in symptoms, it provides an important reason for men to have any lumps checked by their doctor.
Symptoms of Gynecomastia
Pain
Swollen/tender breast
Nipple sensitivity
It is just as important for men to “know their normal” as it is for women. “Knowing your normal” means that you should always be doing self-checks on your body to know what is normal and what is not. When something abnormal comes up, always make a point to check with your doctor to make sure that the presence of something new is not cancerous or life-threatening. Remember that breast cancer is not just a woman’s disease, and men should always be aware of their bodies for any changes.
Stay educated and check out our blogs on male breast cancer's risk factors and signs and symptoms:
https://www.goingbeyondthepink.org/blog/signs-symptoms-male-breast-cancer?rq=Male
https://www.goingbeyondthepink.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-breast-cancer?rq=Male