Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and it can affect anyone, including men. People might assume that it only affects women, but around 400 men in the UK are diagnosed with it every year. Here we address some of the misconceptions around breast cancer in men, and answer some of your questions to help separate fact from fiction.
Do men even have breast tissue?
Cancer develops in breast tissue, which we all have, no matter what sex we are. And since we are all born with breast tissue, anyone can be diagnosed with breast cancer. This sometimes comes as a surprise to many men, who may have assumed that breast cancer only affects women.
Small ducts and breast tissue are located behind the nipple area. People who are assigned female at birth grow more breast tissue during puberty, but everybody starts with a small amount. Breast cancer occurs when cells in this tissue divide uncontrollably and form a tumour, and this can happen to men too.
But because a lot of men do not even realise that they can develop breast cancer, the disease is often diagnosed late, which makes it much harder to treat. More awareness, and more international cancer research, is vital to help find cures for all people diagnosed with breast cancer.
How common is breast cancer in men?
In the UK, around 59,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, making it the most common cancer in women. It is much less common in men, with around 400 men receiving a diagnosis every year in the UK. Worldwide, fewer than 1 in 100 breast cancer cases are in men.
Although it is rare, breast cancer in men can be deadly. It often goes undetected for longer, since there is less awareness of breast cancer in men. Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis can be very surprising and isolating for men, since they don’t expect it to happen to them. More awareness is needed to help early detection of breast cancer in men and improve outcomes for patients.
What increases a man's risk of breast cancer?
We do not yet fully understand what causes breast cancer, but there are some risk factors that we know increase the risk:
Age. Most men who receive a breast cancer diagnosis are are over 60 years old, although it does very rarely affect younger men.
Family history. Some mutations, including the BRCA2 gene mutation, can be inherited and increase the risk of breast cancer. However, some men with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.
Radiotherapy. If you have had radiotherapy to your chest it can increase your risk.
Klinefelter syndrome. This rare syndrome only affects men and increases your risk of developing breast cancer.
Hormone levels. High levels of oestrogen, sometimes caused by liver damage or being overweight, can increase your risk of breast cancer.
Testicular effects. Undergoing surgery to remove one or both testicles, or having undescended testicles may increase your risk of breast cancer.
Is it true that "A lump in a man's chest is never breast cancer"?
A lump in your chest or armpit could absolutely be a symptom of breast cancer. Other symptoms to look out for include nipple discharge, changes in the size or shape of your chest, swelling in your chest, changes to your nipples or an ulcer in the chest area.
Please remember that the sooner breast cancer is detected, the easier it is to cure. Men might dismiss these symptoms more than women, but if you are worried at all about any changes in your chest please consult your doctor.
Is male breast cancer different from female breast cancer?
Since most cases of breast cancer happen in women, most research about breast cancer has been about women. Although this research helps us to understand breast cancer in everyone, there are some differences between male and female breast cancer.
Understanding the type of breast cancer you have helps doctors to give you the best treatment. Almost all breast cancers in men are classed as oestrogen receptor (ER) positive, but only about 70% of breast cancer in women are ER positive. There are other molecular and genetic differences between male and female breast cancer, which may affect how they respond to treatment.
The better we can understand these differences between breast cancer in men and women, the sooner we can reach a day where everyone, no matter their gender, survives a breast cancer diagnosis. That’s why, thanks to you, we fund research into any cancer type, affecting anyone, anywhere in the world.
Do men get invited for mammograms?
There is no screening programme for breast cancer in men because it is much rarer than breast cancer in women. The benefits of screening men would not outweigh the risks involved with a screening programme.
This makes it really important for men to check their chests for any changes. Whatever your gender, regularly checking your chest for symptoms helps to detect cancer sooner. Early detection is crucial to get vital treatment as soon as possible and improve the chance of a cure.
Does breast cancer research help men too?
Research into breast cancer has helped to improve survival rates considerably over the past few decades. Despite this, there is a lot we still don’t know about breast cancer and it can be harder to study breast cancer in men because it is much rarer. Luckily research is helping to find the answers and increasingly breast cancer clinical trials are recruiting men as well as women.
Our researchers around the globe are looking for new breast cancer cures, for men and women. In Belgium Dr Scheele and Dr Halberg and their team (pictured) are investigating how obesity can cause breast cancer to start, and whether that effect goes away if a person who was obese loses weight. They hope this will lead to better preventative medicine to reduce breast cancer risk.
Thanks to your support Professor Roberta Tasso in Italy is investigating new ways to deliver drugs straight to hard-to-treat breast cancers. She hopes this will lead to a way to knock out tumours even after cancer has spread.
How can you make a difference for men with breast cancer?
Breast cancer, in men or women, is still not always curable. The more we know about breast cancer, the better we can stop it. That’s how research saves lives. Thanks to our Curestarters, we are making vital breast cancer breakthroughs that will improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for everyone worldwide.
But it’s not just researchers that can help us reach a day where no life is cut short by cancer. You can help too. The more awareness there is, the more men will look out for symptoms, detect breast cancer earlier and live healthier, for longer. So talking about male breast cancer, regularly checking yourself, and encouraging others to check can all save lives.
Your breast cancer in men FAQs
How common is breast cancer in men in the UK?
Breast cancer is much rarer in men than women, although it does still happen. In the UK around 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, compared to around 59,000 women.
At what age are men most at risk of breast cancer?
Most cases of breast cancer in men happen in patients aged 60 or over, although occasionally it can happen in younger men.
How is male breast cancer treated?
The most common treatment for men with breast cancer is surgery. Having a mastectomy involves removing the whole breast and nipple and often lymph nodes in the armpit.
Other types of treatment include chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The treatment you have will depend on the size of the cancer, where it is and whether it has spread to other parts of your body.
Why is male breast cancer often diagnosed later than female breast cancer?
There is less awareness about breast cancer in men than women. This means that men may not recognise the symptoms of breast cancer, or may be slower to seek medical advice about them. The later breast cancer is diagnosed, the harder it is to cure. So increasing awareness about breast cancer helps to save lives.
How does breast cancer research funded by Worldwide Cancer Research help men?
Thanks to you, Worldwide Cancer Research are supporting scientists to make breast cancer breakthroughs that will help men and women around the world.
There is still a lot we don’t know about breast cancer, including how it grows differently in men and women. Discovery research is the only way to answer these questions, and drive new cancer cures.
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