Men

Men

Breast cancer in men is rare, but it does happen. In 2010, it was estimated that among U.S. men there would be [31]:

•  1,970 new cases of breast cancer  
•  390 breast cancer deaths 

Rates of breast cancer incidence (new cases, including new cases of primary breast cancer among survivors, but not recurrence of original breast cancer among survivors) and mortality (the rate of death) are much lower among men than among women. For example, in 2007 (most recent data available)

Survival rates for men are about the same as for women with the same stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis. However, men are usually diagnosed at a later stage because they are less likely to report symptoms. Learn more about the symptoms of male breast cancer.

Treatment for men is the same as treatment for women and usually includes a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy

Warning signs of male breast cancer

Changes in the breast or nipple can be warning signs of male breast cancer include [61-63]:

• Lump, hard knot or thickening in the breast (usually painless, but may be tender)
• Dimpling, puckering or redness of the skin of the breast
• Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
• Pulling in of the nipple or other parts of the breast
• Nipple discharge
• Inverted nipple

As men tend to have much less breast tissue compared to women, some of these signs can be easier to notice in men than in women. These symptoms may also be signs of a benign (non-cancer) breast condition. If you notice any of these signs or other changes in your breast or nipple, see your health care provider right away.

Types of male breast cancer

As with female breast cancers, most male breast cancers begin in the milk ducts of the breast (invasive ductal carcinomas). Less often, male breast cancers begin in the lobules of the breast (invasive lobular carcinoma). Learn more about the anatomy of the breast.

In rare cases, men can be diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ (a non-invasive breast cancer) or Paget’s disease of the nipple [61-62,64]. Paget’s disease of the nipple is a cancer that begins in the milk ducts of the breast tissue, but spreads to the skin of the nipple. It can cause a scaly rash on the skin of the nipple. Although Paget’s disease is rare, it occurs more often in men than in women

Age

Getting older increases the risk of male breast cancer. Most breast cancer in men occurs between ages 65 and 67

Other risk factors

Heavy alcohol use, chronic alcoholism, chronic liver disease and obesity may also increase the risk of male breast cancer [61,66,68]. These conditions can increase estrogen levels in the body and these higher estrogen levels, in turn, may increase breast cancer risk. Some estrogen drugs used to treat prostate cancer also may increase the risk of male breast cancer