Symptoms of male breast cancer

Symptoms of male breast cancer – Male breast cancer is most common in older men, but it is important that men recognize that the disease can strike them at any age. #BreastCancer #MaleBreastCancer

Symptoms of male breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer diagnosed among the female population. Though breast cancer may seem like a disease that’s exclusive to women, breast cancer can affect men as well.

While they have a smaller concentration than women, men have breast tissue, which means it’s possible for them to develop breast cancer. Male breast cancer is most common in older men, but it is important that men recognize that the disease can strike them at any age.

Signs and symptoms

Men with breast cancer experience symptoms that are similar to those experienced by women. Possible signs to be aware of include:

· skin dimpling or puckering

· a lump or swelling, which is typically (but not always) painless

· nipple retraction

· redness or scaling of the nipple or breast skin

· discharge from the nipple, which may be clear or blood-tinged

The American Cancer Society advises that sometimes breast cancer can spread to the lymph nodes under the arm or around the collar bone and cause a lump or swelling in these locations. The protrusion may be noticeable even before the original tumor in the breast is large enough to be felt.

Men should realize that enlargements or issues affecting both breasts (not on just one side) typically is not cancer. Enlargement or changes to both breasts in men can be caused by weight gain, medications or heavy alcohol consumption.

Breast cancer in men is a rare disease. Less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men. In 2020, about 2,620 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease, and an estimated 520 men are expected to die from breast cancer. For men, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 833.

BreastCancer.org

Types of male breast cancer

Various types of breast cancer can affect men, according to the Mayo Clinic:

· Ductal carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the milk ducts. Nearly all male breast cancer is ductal carcinoma.

· Lobular carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the milk-producing glands. This type is rare in men because they have few lobules in their breast tissue.

Especially rare types of breast cancer that can occur in men include Paget’s disease of the nipple and inflammatory breast cancer.

According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine site: “The survival rates and prognoses for men is not as good as it is for women. Men have a 25 percent higher mortality rate than women. This is believed to be due in part to men getting diagnosed with later stage disease.”

MaleBC.org

Diagnosis

Even MaleBC.org states there is also no screening program for men, even for those with a genetic predisposition to the disease. I myself have asked about it my doctors, because breast cancer runs in my family, none of my doctors would do anything and stated that men simply don’t get mammograms.

BreastCancer.org says that a small study of breast cancer in men found that the average time between first symptoms and diagnosis was about 19 months. This can be startling because early diagnosis can be vital to survival. Through the realization that breast cancer can happen to men and more education and awareness, men can feel more comfortable about discussing changes to breast tissue with their doctors.

Male breast cancer is a very real occurrence, albeit a rare one. It is important that men take any abnormalities in their chests seriously.

Pink Ribbon is widely used for Breast Cancer, but did you know that the Pink and Blue Ribbon is associated with Male Breast Cancer?

The Pink Ribbon | Breast Cancer Awareness

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