Types of Male Breast Cancer
The following are the five different types of male breast cancers that strike men, all of which also occur in women.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a breast cancer that forms in the cells of breast ducts. This cancer does not break through breast duct walls or metastasize to other ares of the body, and it is usually highly curable through the use of surgery. This form of breast cancer accounts for about 10% of all the cases that are diagnosed in men.
Infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) starts in the breast ducts, but this aggressive type of cancer soon penetrates through the walls of the ducts and moves into the nearby fatty tissues of the breast. From there, this cancer can metastasize into other regions of the body. About 80% of all male breast cancers are IDCs, and if not treated promptly this type of cancer can eventually lead to the death of the patient.
Infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC) starts in the lobules that form at the end of breast ducts. Because these lobules are involved in the creation of breast milk, they are obviously much more plentiful in women than in men. But men do have small numbers of these lobules, and cancers that can ultimately metastasize and spread are capable of forming in this area in either sex. Only about 2% of all breast cancers in males are of this type.
Considered to be either a type of breast cancer in itself, or a precursor to the development of actual breast cancer is Lobular carcinoma in situ (or LCIS), depending on which medical expert is asked to define it. Just as in ILCs, abnormal cells initially form in the breast lobules. But in this instance these cells do not spread to surrounding fatty tissue or into other areas in the body, which is why there is some disagreement whether this should even be referred to as a cancer.
Paget disease of the nipple forms in the breast ducts just like IDC. When it spreads, however, it moves into the nipple and the areola instead of into the fatty tissue. This will cause the skin in these areas to become itchy, crusty, and red, and there may be oozing, bleeding, and burning in addition to the pain. There is also likely to be a lump beneath the affected area, which can usually be detected by touch. This type of breast cancer accounts for only about 1% of cases in women, but it is more common than that in men.
Detecting, Diagnosing and Treating Breast Cancer in Men
Because men do not expect to get breast cancer, it can be easy for them to overlook the symptoms. Pain, redness, discomfort, and lumps that are detectable to the touch are signs of trouble, and any man who is manifesting these characteristic signs of breast cancer should make an appointment with their doctor, who may advise a biopsy be taken to find out what is going on. Men of course are not going to be having preventative mammograms, so early detection through this method is not going to be an option - unless men who know they are in high risk categories decide to have this procedure done proactively. Early detection is still possible for all men, however, if they are aware that a risk actually exists and know what signs to look for.
One piece of good news is that the most common type of breast disorder in men, which is called gynecomastia, will manifest as a lump in the breast just like breast cancer. So if and when a man does find an anomalous lump in his breast, it is far more likely to be gynecomastia than breast cancer. Nevertheless, since men can and do contract breast cancer, it is best to take no chances, and to see a medical professional immediately if an abnormal formation is found or other troubling symptoms should occur.
Diagnosis of breast cancer in men relies on physical examination, mammogram and biopsy, just as in the case of women. The treatment pattern is also the same, involving chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and hormone therapy. The two differences here are that surgery tends to be chosen as the first treatment option more often than with women, and hormone therapy is usually more effective with men than women because male breast cancer cells have hormone receptors some 90% of the time. The drug tamoxifen interferes with the ability of cancer cells with hormone receptors to use estrogen as fuel, and it has become the drug of choice for breast-cancer related hormone therapy for both sexes.
The survival rate for men with breast cancer is essentially the same as for women. Survival rates depend of course on how quickly treatment can begin, and they range from 96% for cancers caught at stage 1 to just 23% for cancers that were not found before stage 4. Even though the survival rates based on stages are similar, however, the problem is that because male breast cancer is so unusual and underpublicized that men suffering from this disease tend not to seek treatment when symptoms first appear. Men are simply not inclined to think 'breast cancer' if they find a lump in the chest area, and it is usually not until there is intense pain, bleeding or other visible damage that they finally decide to consult with a physician.
Improving the Prognosis for Male Breast Cancer Victims
The stereotype of breast cancer as a woman's disease has a basis in reality. But this conception has prevented men from being as aware of this risk to their health as they should be. The only way to counteract this unfortunate state of affairs may be through an appropriately scaled publicity campaign, similar in intent if not in scope to the campaign that has been so successful in raising awareness of the threat breast cancer represents to the health of women.
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