MALE BREAST CANCER : THE ADAMS IN TROUBLE

MALE BREAST CANCER : THE ADAMS IN TROUBLE !

Even in the wildest of dreams did he dare to dream that one day he would develop the deadly disease that his mother is suffering from. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in the earlier part of his life. She had even completed treatment and did well for quite a long time till it struck her once again recently. She was presently under treatment and having been a witness to her suffering he definitely was disillusioned with life.But all hell broke loose when his biopsy report turned out to be cancerous.

Breast cancer can occur in men.Yes. Of course you heard it right. Breast cancer can occur in men even though it is very rare. Men do have some amount of breast tissue that makes them prone to cancer.The lifetime risk of a man developing breast cancer is 1 in 1000 whereas for women it is as high as 1 in 8 in the western population.

Risk factors for male breast cancer.

Since breast cancer in men is very rare ,they usually are missed early and present later in advanced stage.
A number of factors may increase the risk for breast cancer in men including :
1. Hormonal treatment for various other reasons.
2. Klinefelter syndrome.
3. Liver Disease/ Cirrhosis. 
4. Alcoholism

5. Radiation exposure in childhood.

“Practically all breast cancers in men are hereditary”

Breast cancer can run in families.For men from such families the risk is hundredfold. So Practically all breast cancers in men are deemed hereditary. BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 are the most common genes associated with higher association with BRCA 2 gene.
Signs and symptoms :

1. Any lump in the breast
2. Any discharge from the nipple
3. Any puckering or redness of the skin over the breast
4. Changes in the nipple : pulling inwards / ulceration

Breast cancer in men are curable when diagnosed early.The treatment includes surgery , chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal and targeted therapy similar to the treatment in women.