Breast cancer isn't a woman's disease any longer, it may occur in men. Male breast cancer is a very rare condition, accounting for only about 1% of all breast cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, about 1,990 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed, and that breast cancer will cause approximately 480 deaths in men.
What is male breast cancer?
Men also have breast tissue (breast tissue that cannot produce milk) that can undergo cancerous changes. While women are about 100 times more likely to get breast cancer, any man can develop breast cancer. Like breast cancer in women, cancer of the male breast is the uncontrolled growth of the cells of this breast tissue Male breast cancer is most common between the ages of 60 and 70.
What are causes and risk factors of male breast cancer?
While the cause of cancer of the male breast has not been fully characterized the following risk factors for the development of male breast cancer have been identified.
1. Exposure to ionizing radiation
2. High levels of estrogens also can increase the risk for development of male breast cancer. Statistics show that the majority of breast cancers in men are estrogen receptor-positive (meaning that they grow in response to stimulation with estrogen).
3. Klinefelter's syndrome is an inherited condition affecting about one in 1,000 men. Men with Klinefelter's syndrome have inherited an extra female X chromosome, resulting in an abnormal sex chromosome makeup of XXY rather than the normal male XY. Patients affected by this condition produce high levels of estrogen and develop enlarged breasts, sparse facial and body hair, small testes, and the inability to produce sperm.
4. Familial predisposition. Statistics show that men who have several female relatives with breast cancer also have an increased risk for development of the disease.
Treatment of male breast cancer
Treatments are the same as for breast cancer in women. They depend upon the stage of condition and the overall physical condition of the patient.
Surgery. The most common surgical treatment of male breast cancer is radical mastectomy, that means removal of the breast, lining over the chest muscles, and portions of the axillary lymph nodes. If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes (node-positive cancer), adjuvant therapies (chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy) are often prescribed after surgery
Chemotherapy refers to the administration of toxic drugs that stop the growth of cancer cells. Among of the most common chemotherapeutic agents for treating breast cancer are cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil, and doxorubicin (Adriamycin).
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill tumor cells.
Hormonal therapy prevents hormones from stimulating growth of cancer cells and is useful when the cancer cells have binding sites (receptors) for hormones. Because male patients with breast cancers usually have estrogen receptors the disease is commonly treated with the drug tamoxifen, which blocks the action of estrogen on the cancer cells.
Targeted therapy. This treatment involves agents that are designed to specifically target one of the cancer-specific changes in cells. Targeted therapies have been shown to be effective in women with breast cancer but has not been extensively tested in men with breast cancer.