Male Breast Cancer

• Male breast cancer symptoms can be like those experienced by women and may include:

  • Lumps in the breast, usually painless

  • Thickening of the breast

  • Changes to the nipple or breast skin, such as dimpling, puckering, or redness.

  • Discharge of fluid from the nipples

• Male breast cancer occurs when malignant cells form in the tissues of the breast. Any man can develop breast cancer, but it is most common among men who are 60 to 70 years old. About 1 percent of all breast cancers occur in men. About 2,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

• Many men may be surprised to learn they can get breast cancer. Men have breast tissue that develops in the same way as breast tissue in women and is susceptible to cancer cells in the same way. In girls, hormonal changes at puberty cause female breasts to grow. In boys, hormones made by the testicles prevent the breasts from growing. Breast cancer in men is uncommon because male breasts have ducts that are less developed and are not exposed to growth-promoting female hormones.

• Just like in women, breast cancer in men may begin in the ducts and spread to surrounding cells. More rarely, men may develop inflammatory breast cancer or Paget’s disease of the breast, if a tumor that began in a duct beneath the nipple moves to the surface. Male breasts have few if any lobules, so lobular carcinoma rarely, if ever, occurs in men.

• Men should also be aware of gynecomastia, the most common male breast disorder. Gynecomastia is not a form of cancer but does cause growth under the nipple or areola that can be felt and sometimes seen. Gynecomastia is common in teenage boys due to hormonal changes during adolescence, and in older men, due to late-life hormonal shifts. Certain medications can cause gynecomastia, as can some conditions, such as Klinefelter syndrome. Rarely, gynecomastia is due to a tumor.

• Male breast cancer treatment typically consists of mastectomy, followed by radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and/or targeted therapy. Since many male breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive, the drug tamoxifen (Nolvadex®) is often a standard therapy for male breast cancer.

• People often assume that men do not get breast cancer.

• Although breast cancer is much more common in women, men do have a small amount of breast tissue and can develop breast cancer.

• People both have breasts that are made up of fatty tissue, fibrous tissue called stroma, nipples, ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipples), and lobules (milk-producing glands).

• The hormones in boys’ bodies restrict the growth of their breasts, so their breast tissue stays smaller.

• Most breast cancers in men are ductal carcinomas, which begin in the milk ducts. Male breast cancer is a rare disease.