Male breast cancer is a rare type of cancer that develops in the tissue of men’s breasts. Despite the fact that breast cancer is most frequently associated with women, it can also affect men.
Male breast cancer can strike at any age, but it most frequently affects older men.
SYMPTOMS
Male breast cancer symptoms can include the following:
- a painless growth or lump in your breast tissue
- Dimpling,
- puckering,
- redness, or scaling on the skin around your breasts
- nipple changes showing signs of redness or scaling, or starting to turn inward
- nipple discharge
When to visit a doctor
If you have any persistent symptoms or signs that worry you, call your doctor right away.
CAUSES
The exact cause of male breast cancer is unknown.
Male breast cancer is known to develop when some breast cells divide more quickly than healthy cells. The accumulating cells create a tumor, which has the potential to spread (metastasize) to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or other body regions.
Where male breast cancer starts
Everybody has a small amount of breast tissue at birth. The ducts that carry milk to the nipples, fat, and milk-producing glands (lobules) make up breast tissue.
Women start growing more breast tissue during puberty, while men do not. However, despite having little breast tissue at birth, men can still get breast cancer.
Men’s breast cancer can be of the following types:
- “Ductal carcinoma” refers to cancer that starts in the milk ducts. Ductal carcinoma makes up the majority of male breast cancer.
- “Lobular carcinoma” – Cancer that starts in the glands responsible for producing milk. Men rarely develop this kind because their breast tissue contains few lobules.
- Men can also develop Paget’s disease of the nipple and inflammatory breast cancer, two less common forms of breast cancer.
Inherited genes that raise the risk of breast cancer
Some men acquire from their parents abnormal (mutated) genes that increase the risk of developing breast cancer. You are more likely to develop breast and prostate cancers if one or more genes, particularly the BRCA2 gene, are altered.
Talk to your doctor if there is a significant history of cancer in your family. In order to consider genetic testing to determine whether you carry genes that increase your risk of cancer, your doctor might advise that you speak with a genetic counselor.
RISK FACTORS
Male breast cancer is more likely as a result of the following factors:
Older Age– As you get older, your risk of breast cancer rises. Men in their 60s are most frequently diagnosed with male breast cancer.
Estrogen exposure – Your risk of developing breast cancer rises if you take estrogen-related medications, such as those prescribed for hormone therapy for prostate cancer.
History of breast cancer in the family – You have a higher risk of getting breast cancer if a member of your immediate family does.
The Klinefelter Syndrome – When boys are born with more than one copy of the X chromosome, this genetic syndrome takes place. Testicular development is abnormal in people with Klinefelter’s syndrome. Men who have this syndrome consequently produce more estrogens and less of certain male hormones (androgens).
Liver Disease – Your risk of breast cancer can rise when certain conditions, like liver cirrhosis, cause male hormone levels to drop and female hormone levels to rise.
Obesity – Increased estrogen levels in the body are linked to obesity, which raises the risk of male breast cancer.
Surgery or a testicle Disease. Male breast cancer risk can be increased by having inflamed testicles (orchitis) or by having a testicle removed surgically (orchiectomy).
CONCLUSION
Early detection of male breast cancer in men increases the likelihood of a successful treatment. Surgery is frequently used as a form of treatment to remove the breast tissue. Depending on your specific circumstances, additional therapies like chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be suggested.