Though it most often occurs in women, breast cancer can affect men as well. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is roughly 100 times less common among men than among women, but roughly 1,900 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed among men in the U.S. every year.
Though men are less likely to get breast cancer than other cancers, it still helps to understand certain aspects of the disease that can help lessen their risk and prepare them should they or a loved one be diagnosed.
Risk Factors
When it comes to risk factors for breast cancer, men might have several risk factors but never develop the disease. Other men might have none of the risk factors but still develop breast cancer. Perhaps most puzzling, even if a man is diagnosed with breast cancer, doctors still can’t be certain what exactly was the cause, even if the man has one ore more of the risk factors associated with the disease. Similar to female breast cancer, many of the risks associated with male breast cancer are related to hormone levels.
• Age: A man’s risk of breast cancer increases as he ages, and the ACS notes the average age of diagnosis is 68.
• Inherited gene mutations: A mutation in the BRCA2 gene accounts for roughly 10 percent of all breast cancers in men. While mutations in the BRCA1 gene can also cause breast cancer in men, the risk factor is far less. In addition, mutations in the CHEK2 and PTEN genes can also increase a man’s risk for breast cancer.
• Estrogen treatment: Men with prostate cancer sometimes receive hormonal therapy that includes estrogen-related drugs. This can increase the risk of male breast cancer, but the ACS notes that risk is small compared to the benefits such treatments produce in slowing the growth of prostate cancer.
• Klinefelter syndrome: Men with Klinefelter syndrome, a congenital condition affecting roughly 1 in 1,000 men, have lower levels of androgens, or male hormones, and higher levels of estrogens, or female hormones, than most men. Some studies have found that men with Klinefelter syndrome are more likely to get breast cancer than other men, though both conditions are so uncommon that more research is needed to determine a more concrete link between the two.
• Heavy alcohol consumption: Heavy alcohol consumption increases a man’s risk for breast cancer. That’s likely because of alcohol’s effect on the liver, which plays a role in sex hormone metabolism. Men who abuse alcohol are much more likely to develop cirrhosis, and men who have cirrhosis commonly have higher estrogen levels because the liver is less capable of controlling hormonal activity.
Cause of Male Breast Cancer
The aforementioned risk factors can increase a man’s risk of developing breast cancer. However, the cause of most breast cancers in men remains unknown.
Male Breast Cancer Prevention
Preventing male breast cancer can be difficult because there is no known cause. However, men who maintain a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle are less likely to develop the disease. Maintaining an ideal body and restricting alcohol consumption are two steps all men should take to prevent breast cancer and other diseases as well.
Self-examination can also play a role in preventing male breast cancer. Men should never ignore a breast lump, as, similar to female breast cancer, male breast cancer can manifest itself in a lump on a man’s breast. Men are often diagnosed with breast cancer much later than women, which could very well be because men are less likely to look for breast cancer than women. Should anything suspicious appear, men should report it to their physician immediately, as early detection improves the chances that male breast cancer can be treated successfully.
Men can find more information about male breast cancer at cancer.org.
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