More important information from Breast Cancer.org

"I knew I had a problem for a couple of years—something wasn't quite right—a disfiguration. I had a pre-employment physical and the doctor said, 'You ought to go see your personal physician.' What happened is that the breast cancer had metastasized to my hip, so I had to have a hip replacement. They found out that the cause of that was breast cancer. That's why I say, 'Don't put off what seems to be minor." If you have any suspicion that something is abnormal, don't hesitate—go do something about it. — Larry, living with metastatic male breast cancer

Male Breast Cancer

Breast cancer in men is a rare disease. Less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men. In 2005, when 211,400 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States, 1,690 men were diagnosed with the disease.

You may be thinking: Men don't have breasts, so how can they get breast cancer? The truth is that boys and girls, men and women all have breast tissue. The various hormones in girls' and women's bodies stimulate the breast tissue to grow into full breasts. Boys' and men's bodies normally don't make much of the breast-stimulating hormones. As a result, their breast tissue usually stays flat and small. Still, you may have seen boys and men with medium-sized or big breasts. Usually these breasts are just mounds of fat. But sometimes men can develop real breast gland tissue because they take certain medicines or have abnormal hormone levels.

Because breast cancer in men is rare, few cases are available to study. Most studies of men with breast cancer are very small. But when a number of these small studies are grouped together, we can learn more from them.

The Risk Factors for Male Breast Cancer

It's important to understand the risk factors for male breast cancer—particularly because men are not routinely screened for the disease and don't think about the possibility that they'll get it. As a result, breast cancer tends to be more advanced in men than in women when it is first detected.

A number of factors can increase a man's risk of getting breast cancer:

• Growing older: This is the biggest factor. Just as is the case for women, risk increases as age increases. The median age of men diagnosed with breast cancer is about 67. This means that half the men who are diagnosed are over 67, and half are under.
• High estrogen levels: Breast cell growth—both normal and abnormal—is stimulated by the presence of estrogen. Men can have high estrogen levels as a result of:
  • Taking hormonal medicines.
  • Being overweight, which increases the production of estrogen.
  • Having been exposed to estrogens in the environment (such as estrogen and other hormones fed to fatten up beef cattle, or the breakdown products of the pesticide DDT, which can mimic the effects of estrogen in the body).
  • Being heavy users of alcohol, which can limit the liver's ability to regulate blood estrogen levels.
  • Having liver disease, which usually leads to lower levels of androgens (male hormones) and higher levels of estrogen (female hormones). This increases the risk of developing gynecomastia (breast tissue growth that is non-cancerous) as well as breast cancer.
• Klinefelter syndrome: Men with Klinefelter syndrome have lower levels of androgens (male hormones) and higher levels of estrogen (female hormones). Therefore, they have a higher risk of developing gynecomastia (breast tissue growth that is non-cancerous) and breast cancer. Klinefelter syndrome is a condition present at birth that affects about 1 in 1,000 men. Normally men have a single X and single Y chromosome. Men with Klinefelter syndrome have more than one X chromosome (sometimes as many as four). Symptoms of Klinefelter syndrome include having longer legs, a higher voice, and a thinner beard than average men; having smaller than normal testicles; and being infertile (unable to produce sperm).
• A strong family history of breast cancer or genetic alterations: Family history can increase the risk of breast cancer in men—particularly if other men in the family have had breast cancer. The risk is also higher if there is a proven breast cancer gene abnormality in the family. Men who inherit abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes (BR stands for BReast, and CA stands for CAncer) have an increased risk for male breast cancer. This risk is approximately 6% over a man's lifetime. That's about 80 times greater than the lifetime risk of men without BRCA1 or BRCA2 abnormalities. Still, the majority of male breast cancers happen in men who have no family history of breast cancer and no inherited gene abnormality.
• Radiation exposure: Having radiation therapy to the chest before age 30, and particularly during adolescence, may increase the risk of developing breast cancer. This has been seen in young people receiving radiation to treat Hodgkin's disease. (This does NOT include radiation therapy to treat breast cancer.)

  Symptoms of Male Breast Cancer

  One study found that male breast cancer is on the rise, with a 25% increase over the 25 years from 1973 to 1988. But it's still rare. It's unclear whether the reported rise means the disease is slowly becoming more common, or whether men better understand the symptoms and report their symptoms, leading to diagnoses that might have been missed in the past.

  If you notice any persistent changes to your breasts, you should contact your doctor. Here are some signs to watch for:

• a lump felt in the breast
• nipple pain
• an inverted nipple
• nipple discharge (clear or bloody)
• sores on the nipple and areola (the small ring of color around the center of the nipple)
• enlarged lymph nodes under the arm

It's important to note that enlargement of both breasts (not just on one side) is usually NOT cancer. The medical term for this is gynecomastia. Sometimes the breasts can become quite large. Non-cancer-related enlargement of the breasts can be caused by medications, heavy alcohol use, weight gain, or marijuana use.

A small study about male breast cancer found that the average time between first symptom and diagnosis was 19 months, or over a year and a half. That's a very long time! This is probably because people don't expect breast cancer to happen to men, so there is little to no early detection.

Earlier diagnosis could make a life-saving difference. With more research and more public awareness, men will learn that—just like women—they need to go to their doctor right away if they detect any persistent changes to their breasts.