Understanding Male breast cancer: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Male breast cancer

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Carcinoma of male breast - Malignant Neoplasm of Male Breast

General

Male breast cancer is a malignancy of the male’s breast tissue. Even though breast cancer is more common in females, it definitely exists in males as well. It can occur in men of all ages, but is more common in older men. Male breast cancer is divided into ductal carcinoma- which is the most common and lobular carcinoma which is much less common because of the fact that men have fewer lobules. There are other types which are more rare such as Paget’s disease of the nipple and inflammatory breast cancer. Men who carry the mutated BRCA2 gene, are at greater risk of developing breast and prostate cancer. Other risk factors include older age, exposure to estrogen, Kleinfelter’s syndrome, some liver conditions, obesity and having a testicular disease or testicular surgery.

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Signs & symptoms

Symptoms of malignant neoplasm of male breast may include a lump or a thickening in a breast tissue, changes of the skin covering the breast such as dimpling, puckering, redness or scaling, nipple changes such as redness, scaling, inverted nipple or discharges from the nipple.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of malignant neoplasm of male breast may begin with a clinical breast exam to look for lumps. Then, imaging tests such as breast ultrasound and a mammogram are performed. A biopsy of the breast tissue can provide a definite diagnosis of the lump, the grade of the cancer and whether the cells are positive for hormone receptors- factors that are important for treatment. For assessment of metastases, if needed, a bone scan, a CT scan or a PET-CT may be performed.

Treatment

Treatment for malignant neoplasm of male breast depends on the tumor stage and its biological features. A surgery is done to remove the tumor and its surrounding tissue. A mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy may be done. Other treatments include radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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