Many believe that only women are affected by breast cancer. However, this assumption is incorrect, as roughly 2,620 men are expected to be diagnosed with it in 2020. The lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is around 1 in 833 for men, which is lower than the risk for women, but is still a very high statistic. Males can still have breast cancer since they have breast tissue, just like women. The breast tissue consists of ducts and lobules, beginning right under the nipple and branching out throughout the breast. This is usually where the cancer begins, in either the ducts or lobules. Males have fewer ducts and lobules than women, in fact, some men don’t have any lobules at all. However, if diagnosed with breast cancer, men and women have similar symptoms, treatments, and everything in between. The main difference between the two is the prevalence of breast cancer in females is higher than in males, due to anatomical differences.
The two most common breast cancers are ductal and lobular. This means that the cancer begins in either the milk ducts that lead to the nipple or in the glands that make the milk, respectively. When people hear breast cancer, they often think of a lump in the breast, but this is not always the case. Some cancers may appear in the absence of a lump, and sometimes the lumps found in the breasts are benign, meaning non-cancerous. You should always get any lumps checked out by a doctor anyway, just to be safe!
Male breast cancer is treated in the same way as breast cancer in females, since they are the same disease. There are two main types of treatment, systemic and local. Local treatments only affect the tumor to treat it, not the rest of the body. These include surgery and radiation therapy. Oftentimes local treatments are performed in the early stages of breast cancer, as the tumor can be removed and radiation can be performed after that surgery. Systemic treatments affect the whole body, even if the target is the tumor in the breast. These treatments refer to chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Systemic treatments are used in the later stages of breast cancer. Always consult an oncologist before deciding on any one treatment.
Males afflicted with breast cancer should have a system in place to help with care and emotional support. Studies show cancer patients that have a support network tend to be more optimistic, adjust better to changes in their life, and overall have a greater quality of life than cancer patients that don’t have this kind of support.
Resources can be found on the American Cancer society, or with this link. https://www.cancer.org/treatment.html
**Disclaimer: The Team at CARE does its best to provide you with accurate information but have to emphasize that we are not experts. Please consult your doctor/specialist to see what is best for you!
Sources:
Comments