How Common Is Male Breast Cancer?

Orlando Health uf Health Cancer Center. She explained that the reaction to such a traditionally feminine diagnosis can be volatile for guys. A quote. Some men embrace and run with it. Some men look at it as well, what's wrong with me? In women and men, a breast cancer is more common if you have a Braca one or brack A two G mutation, but not every man or woman with these mutations is destined to get breast cancer. Guys with these mutations the risk of getting breast cancer over the course

of a lifetime is about six percent. Still, experts recommend that men with a strong family history of breast cancer or those who have been diagnosed already, get genetic testing to determine whether a gene is at play. How stuff works. Also spoke via email with Susan Brown, Senior Director of Education and Patient Support with Susan G. Comen As. She said the lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is about one in eight hundred and thirty three in US men,

compared to one in eight for US women. A male breast cancers account for only one percent of all cases diagnosed each year in the US, which equates to about two thousand cases annually. But let's break down why this is and how breast cancer works. Both men and women have breast tissue. That breast tissue has fat, as well as glands that produce milk and ducks that carry the milk to the nipples. Most of the time, breast cancer for both men and women begins in the milk ducts.

This is called ductal carcinoma. Breast cells normally grow and divide in response to estrogen, which is why people who are assigned male at birth generally don't develop much breast tissue. They generally have less estrogen. The more these cells divide, the more chances there are for mistakes to be made when copying their DNA. These DNA mistakes may eventually lead to cancer. If your hormones are unbalanced, that could increase breast cancer risk, but the cause of most male breast

cancer is unknown. There are a few things that put men at slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer, according to Shah. For example, gynocomastia, which is the enlargement of male breast tissue, can be caused by liver disease, hormonal imbalance, or certain medications. Other risk factors include aging, family history of breast cancer, obesity, liver disease, radiation exposure, heavy drinking,

and certain testicular conditions. Black men are at higher risk than white men, but again the exact cause of cancer developing is often unknown. While the risk of a breast cancer diagnosis for a man is lower than for a woman, it's often serious once it's caught. Shaw said men don't have that much breast tissue and they're not looking for it, so it's a higher stage when it's diagnosed because men

aren't going in for mammograms. Brown said the most common sign of breast cancer in men is a painless lump or thickening in the breast or chest area. However, any change in the breast or nipple can be a warning

sign of breast cancer in men. Those changes could include dimpling, puckering, or redness of the skin of the breast, itchy scaly sores, or a rash on the nipple, including spots of blood, pulling in or inversion of the nipple or other parts of the breast and nipple discharge, or any other change in the general size or shape of the breast. These signs are practically identical to those experienced by women with

breast cancer. A treatment depends on the specific type and stage, but in general, men who are a diagnosed be treated similarly to a postmenopausal woman who's diagnosed. That treatment can include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation, and or surgery. When it comes to surgery, men more often receive a complete misectomy rather than a lumpectomy, which is a partial removal of the breast, and that's because of the smaller size of

most male breasts to begin with. That being said, treatment is handled on a case by case basis, with some men requiring radiation therapy depending on the stage. Typically, hormone therapy is also used, since most male breast cancer cases are hormone receptor positive. This therapy helps prevent the estrogen and progesterone hormones from attaching to the receptors in the cells, which stops the growth of cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is also

dependent on stage and type. The diagnosis of breast cancer is enough to upset in any patient, but for men, it's often unexpected. Add the perception of the disease as feminine, though, and a new layer of discomfort is common. Brown said, men may be embarrassed if they have to get a diagnostic mammogram or see a breast surgeon or a breast cancer oncologist where they're surrounded by pink and mistaken as

a caregiver and not the patient. I would personally add that the branding of cancer research and treatment in pink can be off putting to anyone. But more to our point today, it's up to caregivers and the public to

shift the dialogue to be more inclusive. Brown said, we can do a better job when talking about breast cancer, deliberately adding men to the story, acknowledging it can occur, normalizing the occurrence of breast cancer and men to remove the stigma, and as more men share their breast cancer diagnosis, publicly,

the stigma should decrease. Brown also suggests support groups for men dealing with such a diagnosis, as she said, support groups for breast cancer may only have female members, so joining a support group for men with any type of cancer may be more helpful. If you or someone you love is looking for that support, you can check with your medical provider or a cancer advocacy organization like Comen

four resources in your area or online. Today's episode is based on the article male breast cancer is Rare but Real on HowStuffWorks dot Com, written by Aleah Hoyt. Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.