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TwitThisRisk factors for male breast cancer appear to include exposure to radiation, the administration of estrogen (a hormone), and diseases associated with hyperestrogenism (producing too much estrogen), such as cirrhosis (liver disease) or Klinefelter's syndrome (a genetic disorder). Male breast cancer tends to run in families, with the risk of breast cancer increasing in men who have multiple female relatives who have had breast cancer.
The types of breast cancer found in men are similar to those seen in women. The most common type of breast cancer is infiltrating ductal cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the cells lining ducts in the breast). Intraductal cancer (abnormal cells found in the lining of a duct; also called ductal carcinoma in situ), inflammatory cancer (a rare cancer in which the breast looks as if it is inflamed because of its red appearance and warmth), and Paget's disease of the nipple (the tumor has grown from ducts beneath the nipple onto the surface of the nipple) have also been seen in men. Lobular cancer in situ (abnormal cells found in the one of the lobes or sections of the breast) has not been found in men.
Overall survival for men who have breast cancer is similar to that of women with breast cancer. Breast cancer in men, however, is frequently diagnosed at a later stage, affecting the likelihood of survival.
Types of Treatment
There are treatments for men with breast cancer. Four types of treatment are used:
Surgery for men with breast cancer usually takes the form of a modified radical mastectomy (removal of the breast, the lining over the chest muscles, and sometimes part of the chest wall muscles). In addition, some of the lymph nodes (small organs that fight infection and disease) under the arm may also be removed and sent to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope by a doctor of pathology to see if the lymph nodes contain any microscopic cancer cells.
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation is usually administered by a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy).
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by mouth or it may be injected into a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because it affects the body as a whole, not individual parts and organs. The drugs enter the bloodstream, travel through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the breast area.
Hormone therapy may be administered if tests show that the breast cancer cells have estrogen receptors or progesterone receptors (certain proteins in cancer tissue). Hormone therapy is used to change the way hormones in the body help cancers grow. This may be done by using drugs that change the way hormones work or by surgery to remove hormone-producing organs, such as the testicles. Hormone therapy with tamoxifen (drug that inhibits the effect of estrogen) is often given to patients with early stages of breast cancer.
Adjuvant therapy
Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, the patient may be given radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy after surgery to try to kill any cancer cells that may be left. Therapy given after an operation when there are no cancer cells that can be seen is called adjuvant therapy.
If cancer is found in the lymph nodes, treatment consisting of chemotherapy plus tamoxifen and other hormone therapy appears to increase survival in men as it does in women. The patient's response to hormone therapy depends on the presence of hormone receptors in the tumor. The majority of breast cancers in men have these receptors. Hormone therapy is usually recommended for male breast cancer patients, but it can have many side effects, such as hot flashes and impotence (the inability to have an erection adequate for sexual intercourse).
Locally recurrent disease
For locally recurrent disease (cancer that has come back in a limited area after treatment), treatment is usually surgery and radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy.
Distant metastases
For distant metastases (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body), hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of both have shown some success. Hormone therapy may include:
Hormone therapies may be used in sequence (one after the other). Standard chemotherapy regimens may be used if hormone therapy does not work. Men usually respond to therapy no differently than women who have breast cancer.
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