Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
 
BREASTCARE AT JEFFERSON HOSPITAL

Even men can get brest cancer

 

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Breast Health Fact Sheet (PDF)

Tackling Breast CancerThomas Jefferson University Hospital will serve an integral role with the highly successful “Eagles Tackling Breast Cancer Campaign”

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Breast Cancer in Men

Men have breast tissue and can indeed develop breast cancer; however, this disease is rare in men. Less than one percent of all breast carcinomas occur in men. Estimates are that less than 2,000 new cases of breast cancer are seen in men each year, and less than half of that number will die from the disease each year.

Invasive ductal cancer is the most common tumor type for male breast cancer. The average age at diagnosis is between 60 and 70, although men of all ages can be affected with the disease.

What are risk factors for breast cancer in men?

Risk factors may include:

  • radiation exposure;
  • estrogen administration;
  • or diseases associated with hyperestrogenism, such as cirrhosis or Klinefelter's syndrome;

The Risk Assessment Program at Jefferson’s Breast Health Center can help you estimate your overall risk for developing breast cancer, and can help you to take steps to address that risk.

Also, there are familial tendencies for developing breast cancer:

  • An increased incidence is seen in men who have a number of female relatives with breast cancer.
  • An increased risk of male breast cancer has been reported in families in which a BRCA 2 (Breast Cancer 2) gene mutation has been identified and in men who have inherited a BRCA 2 gene mutation.

The Jefferson Hereditary Cancer Program offers genetic counseling, and gene testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome.

The signs and symptoms of the disease as well as the patterns of spread, prognostic factors, and the staging are roughly the same as those for women.

Care: Diagnosis and treatment for male breast cancer are also similar to that for women. Abnormalities in the breast are evaluated by ultrasound and mammogram, and hormonal therapy may be used as a chemopreventive agent.

Overall survival for men with breast cancer is similar to that for women with breast cancer. The impression that male breast cancer has a worse prognosis may stem from the tendency toward diagnosis of breast cancer at a later stage in men than in women. Men should also have clinical breast exams performed by their healthcare providers during their annual physicals.