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How Many Men Have Breast Cancer

Symptoms Of Breast Cancer In Men

What to know about male breast cancer

The most common symptom for men with breast cancer;include:

  • lump in the breast that is nearly always painless
  • oozing from the nipple that may be blood stained
  • a nipple that is pulled into the breast
  • swelling of the breast
  • a sore in the skin of the breast
  • lump or swelling under the arm
  • a rash on or around the nipple

If you have any of these symptoms it is important to go to your GP straight away. Finding a cancer early gives the best chance of successful treatment.

Take Action To Change Young Adult Breast Cancer Statistics

When all young adults affected by breast cancer work together, we can raise awareness, improve our representation in research and make each other stronger. We are dedicated to these goals, working to turn our unique challenges into opportunities for shared success. Join the movement! Become an advocate for young women with breast cancer.

Unique Challenges For Young Adults

Breast cancer in young adults is just different. We are at a different phase of our lives and encounter unique challenges compared to older persons. These challenges may significantly impact our quality and length of life. Some of the unique challenges and issues young adults face:

  • The possibility of early menopause and sexual dysfunction brought on by breast cancer treatment
  • Fertility issues, because breast cancer treatment can affect a womanâs ability and plans to have children
  • Many young women are raising small children while enduring treatment and subsequent side effects
  • Young breast cancer survivors have a higher prevalence of psychosocial issues such as anxiety and depression13
  • Questions about pregnancy after diagnosis
  • Heightened concerns about body image, especially after breast cancer-related surgery and treatment
  • Whether married or single, intimacy issues may arise for women diagnosed with breast cancer
  • Challenges to financial stability due to workplace issues, lack of sufficient health insurance and the cost of cancer care

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What Are The Risk Factors

Several factors can increase a mans chance of getting breast cancer. Having risk factors does not mean you will get breast cancer.

  • Getting older. The risk for breast cancer increases with age. Most breast cancers are found after age 50.
  • Genetic mutations. Inherited changes in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase breast cancer risk.
  • Family history of breast cancer. A mans risk for breast cancer is higher if a close family member has had breast cancer.
  • Radiation therapy treatment. Men who had radiation therapy to the chest have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
  • Hormone therapy treatment. Drugs containing estrogen , which were used to treat prostate cancer in the past, increase mens breast cancer risk.
  • Klinefelter syndrome.Klinefelter syndromeexternal icon is a rare genetic condition in which a male has an extra X chromosome. This can lead to the body making higher levels of estrogen and lower levels of androgens .
  • Conditions that affect the testicles. Injury to, swelling in, or surgery to remove the testicles can increase breast cancer risk.
  • Liver disease. Cirrhosis of the liver can lower androgen levels and raise estrogen levels in men, increasing the risk of breast cancer.
  • Overweight and obesity. Older men who are overweight or have obesity have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than men at a normal weight.

Talk to your doctor about your familys history of cancer.

What Is The Average American Womans Risk Of Being Diagnosed With Breast Cancer At Different Ages

Cancer Disparities

Many women are more interested in the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer at specific ages or over specific time periods than in the risk of being diagnosed at some point during their lifetime. Estimates by decade of life are also less affected by changes in incidence and mortality rates than longer-term estimates. The SEER report estimates the risk of developing breast cancer in 10-year age intervals . According to the current report, the risk that a woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer during the next 10 years, starting at the following ages, is as follows:;

  • Age 30 . . . . . . ;0.49%
  • Age 40 . . . . . . ;1.55%
  • Age 50 . . . . . . ;2.40%
  • Age 60 . . . . . . ;3.54%
  • Age 70 . . . . . . ;4.09%

These risks are averages for the whole population. An individual womans breast cancer risk may be higher or lower depending on known factors, as well as on factors that are not yet fully understood. To calculate an individual womans estimated breast cancer risk, health professionals can use the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, which takes into account several known breast cancer risk factors.;

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Treatment Of Locally Advanced Disease

The treatment of male patients with T3/T4 or inflammatory breast cancer is initiated with neo-adjuvant CT and surgery is performed on those whose tumor becomes amenable to operation. Subsequently, adjuvant tamoxifen is recommended for HR positive cases. It should also be kept in mind that adjuvant hormonal therapy may be an alternative to CT in most cases .

Sharing Your Diagnosis With Others

You might find it difficult to tell others about your diagnosis. If so, it can be helpful to start by telling your family and close friends first. This will help you become familiar with peoples responses and reactions. As breast cancer in men is rare, you may find that people want to ask you questions. You may like to have a few answers prepared.

Many people who are diagnosed with cancer find that it affects their friendships. Sadly, this usually happens when friends and family dont know how to cope with the news. Sometimes, a person you thought would be there for you will respond by stepping back. At other times, the opposite happens, and people who you do not have regular contact with you may respond by making contact and offering help. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way to respond to breast cancer. Just find what works for you, your family and your friends.

Seek out support that is available to you like family, friends, doctors and nurses. Ask lots of questions and get as much information as you can to understand the disease. I found reading online forums, books and pamphlets helpful. Matthew

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How Is A Male Breast Cancer Diagnosis Made

If a doctor has reason to suspect cancer, the following tests and procedures may be used to arrive at a diagnosis: ;

  • Clinical breast exam. Usually a first step, this is performed in the office. The doctor feels the breast and underarm area for palpable lumps and examines the skin and nipple for any breast changes.
  • Imaging tests. Next, the doctor may order such tests as a mammogram with a breast ultrasound and, occasionally, a magnetic resonance imaging of the breasts. A radiologist will examine these imaging tests to look for malignant tumors.
  • Breast biopsy. A breast biopsy is a procedure in which a small piece of tissue is removed and sent to a pathology lab, where it is evaluated to determine if it is malignant or benign.;The four main kinds of breast biopsies are the core needle biopsy, excisional biopsy, fine need aspiration, and punch skin biopsy.;
  • Hormone-sensitivity tests. If cancer is found, an estrogen and progesterone receptor test is performed to determine whether the tumor contains receptors for estrogen and progesterone. If it does, the patient can also be treated with medications that suppress estrogen and progesterone in the body, depriving cancer cells of those hormones. This is done in addition to surgical therapy.

  • HER2 test. This test measures the amount of the growth-factor protein known as HER2, found in the breast tissue. This information helps a medical oncologist choose the right therapy for treatment.; ; ;

Diagnostic Imaging Methods And Differential Diagnosis

Treating breast cancer in men

The majority of lesions in the male breast are benign and gynecomasty constitutes most of these lesions. Within these, less than 1% is primary breast cancer. Even though male breast is relatively small, mammography is technically feasible and adds useful information to clinical examination . In the presence of a clinically suspicious lesion, MG should be preferred over ultrasonography . Sensitivity and specificity of mammography are reported as 92% and 90%, respectively . A normal male breast is essentially composed of fat tissue and contains only a few secretory canals. It does not have Cooper ligaments, and has none or very little ductal and interlobular connective tissue. For that reason, it has a radiolucent appearance on mammography . The tumor is visualized on MG as a hyperdense, well defined, lobulated mass with spiculated margins or as a structural distortion. Microcalcification is observed less as compared to FBC; its tendency of clustering is low, and generally appears as wide, round and dispersed calcifications.

Doyle et al. emphasized the radiologic and pathologic differences between male and female breast cancer in their review:

  • The incidence of invasive lobular cancer and in-situ disease are lower in men as compared to women.

  • Male breast cancer more frequently manifests itself as a locally advanced disease .

  • MBCs are more often localized in the subareolar area, whereas FBCs are localized in the upper outer quadrant.

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    What Are The Symptoms

    The most common symptoms of breast cancer in men are

    • A lump or swelling in the breast.
    • Redness or flaky skin in the breast.
    • Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
    • Nipple discharge.
    • Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.

    These symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer. If you have any symptoms that worry you, see your doctor right away.

    Re: 30 How Many Women Live Their Lives As Men

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    ; It’s not the liberals who want to force people to conform, it’s you.; You’re just little tyrants who strut around and obsess about something that’s not important.

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    Male Breast Cancer Susceptibility Factors

    Male breast cancer is uncommon and accounts for only 0.2% of all male cancers, and <1% of all breast cancers . However, 714% of breast cancer cases in sub-Saharan Africa occur in men . The adult male breast has a marginal amount of adipose and glandular tissue but it can develop and proliferate using the same cascade that females use when exposed to increased levels of estrogen and progesterone leading to a disruption in the estrogen-to-androgen ratio . Male breast cancer typically presents as a painless, unilateral, subareolar breast mass or thickening, sometimes accompanied by nipple discharge, retraction, or ulceration . There is a deficit of public awareness of male breast cancer, which has led to low incidence of screening and breast palpation in men. Therefore, more than 50% of male breast tumors have progressed to stage II or greater at diagnosis, compared to about ~35% in women . There are risk factors or potential biomarkers of susceptibility for male breast cancer, as outlined in Box 44.2.

    Risk factors for male breast cancer

    et al.et al.

    Estrogen excess: Klinefelter Syndrome, exogenous estrogen therapy , liver cirrhosis , obesity , excess testosterone use

    Suppressed androgens: Damage to Leydig cells or testicular abnormality

    Heritable traits: Family history of breast cancer , Ashkenazi Jew, sub-Saharan African ancestry, age

    Gene mutations: BRCA2 or BRCA1 , androgen receptor, CHEK2 , PTEN , CYP17 )

    Environment exposures: Occupational , radiation

    Male Breast Cancer: 5 Important Facts

    Breast Cancer in Men

    Its easier for men to detect: Men often have less breast tissue, so a lump can be more evident compared to what might be found during a womans self-exam or mammogram. Even if they ignore it, its probably more noticeable thats the advantage that men have, Zapor says. A lump, she notes, may appear around the nipple or underarm; skin may also pucker or retract.

    Family history plays a role:;Having first-degree relatives such as a sibling, parent, or child affected by breast cancer especially another man who has had it, Schork notes put men at increased risk. So does the presence of an inherited mutation in a cancer susceptibility gene, such as BRCA1 and/or ;BRCA2. A chromosome condition called Klinefelter syndrome also causes a man to be at increased risk for developing breast cancer.;

    Age and personal health do, too:;As is the case with women, a man is more likely to develop breast cancer as he gets older around age 68 and beyond, the American Cancer Society says. Universal factors include being overweight, liver disease and certain prostate cancer treatments .; The length of a mans androgen receptor may also be implicated in male breast cancer risk, although this is a risk factor that needs further study.;

    For more information about male breast cancer, call the Cancer AnswerLine at 800-865-1125.

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    What Is Secondary Breast Cancer

    Secondary breast cancer is when breast cancer spreads from the breast to other parts of the body, becoming incurable. Breast cancer most commonly spreads to the bones, brain, lungs or liver.

    While it cannot be cured, there are treatments that can help control certain forms of the disease for some time and relieve symptoms to help people live well for as long as possible.

    There are an estimated 35,000 people living with secondary breast cancer in the UK. In around 5% of women, breast cancer has already spread by the time it is diagnosed.

    When To See Your Gp

    See your GP if you have:

    • a lump in your breast
    • any other worrying symptoms, such as nipple discharge
    • a history of breast cancer in members of your family and you’re worried about your chances of getting it

    It’s very unlikely you have cancer, but it’s best to get your symptoms checked. Your GP will examine your breast and can refer you for;tests and scans for breast cancer if needed.

    If you do not have symptoms but have a clear family history of breast cancer, your GP may refer you to a genetic specialist to discuss your risk of getting it.

    There are some inherited genes that increase your risk of cancer and a blood test can be done to check for these.;Read about;testing for cancer risk genes.

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    What Are The Symptoms Of Breast Cancer In Men

    The most common symptoms of breast cancer in men include:;

    • Breast lump;or swelling

    • Nipple that turns inward

    • Fluid leaking from the nipple discharge, that may be bloody

    • A pain or pulling sensation in the breast

    • Skin or nipple changes such as dimpling, puckering, redness, or scaling

    Many of these symptoms may be caused by other health problems. Its important to see a healthcare provider if you have these symptoms. Only a healthcare provider can tell if you have cancer.

    It Was Estimated That In :

    Early Signs of Breast Cancer
    • 115,800 Canadian men would be diagnosed with cancer and 44,100 men would die from cancer.
    • 110,000 Canadian women would be diagnosed with cancer and 39,300 women would die from cancer.
    • On average, 617 Canadians would be diagnosed with cancer every day.
    • On average, 228 Canadians would die from cancer every day.
    • Lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer are the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer in Canada .;
    • These 4 cancers account for about half of all new cancer cases.
    • Prostate cancer accounts for one-fifth of all new cancer cases in men.
    • Lung cancer accounts for 14% of all new cases of cancer.
    • Breast cancer accounts for one-quarter of all new cancer cases in women
    • Colorectal cancer accounts for 12% of all new cancer cases.;

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    What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Breast Cancer

    There are many different signs and symptoms of breast cancer, so regularly checking your breasts for anything different or new is important.

    The earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of successful treatment. Getting to know what your breasts look and feel like normally means its easier to spot any unusual changes and check them with your doctor.;Common breast cancer signs and symptoms include:

    • A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit. You might feel the lump, but not see it.
    • Changes in the size or shape of the breast
    • A change in skin texture i.e. puckering or dimpling of the skin
    • A change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look red or inflamed
    • Rash, crusting or changes to the nipple
    • Any unusual discharge from either nipple

    Almost half of women in the UK do not check their breasts regularly for potential signs of breast cancer.

    According to;a YouGov survey commissioned by Breast Cancer Now, one in 10 women have never checked their breasts for new or unusual changes. Meanwhile, a fifth of women check their breasts once every six months or less, while 13% do this once a year or less.

    Asked what stops or prevents them from checking their breasts more regularly, almost half of women said they forget. This is concerning when most cases of the disease are detected because women have spotted new or unusual changes to their breasts.

    Some factors are outside our control, including:

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