Male Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is thought of primarily as a woman's disease, however men do have breast tissue and their breast tissue can become cancerous. Men are 100 times less likely to get breast cancer than women, but they are more susceptible after age 60. The prognosis is similar for both sexes.

If you suspect something is not quite right with your breast tissue, get it checked out right away. Usually the first thing you notice is a lump, or an area of thickening that wasn't present in your breast before. Usually a lump is painless and nonmalignant.

Some of the other symptoms to look for are:

Nipple becomes retracted or indented
Clear or bloody discharge coming from nipple
Breast tissue puckers or becomes dimpled
Breast tissue or nipple becomes red or scaly

It is thought that male breast cancer is inherited. It isn't fully known what triggers breast cancer in men. There is a defect within the genes that is passed down from generation to generation in about 10 percent of the men who develop breast cancer. The remaining patients who develop breast cancer may develop the gene mutation during their lifetime, and it was not passed down to them. They could have acquired the gene mutation through radiation while getting a chest X-ray in childhood or any time in life. There may be other factors that are unknown that could explain the presence of male breast cancer.

There is no telling really which man will develop breast cancer. Certain risk factors you cannot do anything about. You can't change your age or your sex or your family history, but you can change some other factors in your life. If you smoke, you can stop. If your diet is poor, you can start eating a good healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Because you have a family history of breast cancer does not automatically mean you are going to get it.