Male breast cancer awareness has been on the rise in the recent times and it is important to understand what this actually means. Every individual, be it a man or woman is born with breast tissues. While women’s breasts develop after puberty, it is not the same case with men. But, this doesn’t stop from the breast tissues falling into the trap of cancer. While male breast cancer is a rare occurrence compared to the number of women who suffer from the same condition, there are cases that require medical help.
Symptoms
Men with breast cancers often don’t realize the hazard unless it’s too late. This is because the lumps are hard to figure out at early stages and only when the pain is unbearable is when he rushes to a doctor.
-Painful bleeding from the nipples involving rashes and scaling
-Hardened skin or lumps.
-Swollen breast tissues or change in the appearance of the nipples
What could be the reason?
The reasons are not very clear when it comes to breast cancer in men. The cells multiply to grow uncontrollably forming tumors. Though men’s milk ducts are non-functional, they are prone to cancerous growth as well. Here are a few reasons that might have led to the cause.
-Exposure to continuous radiation
-High estrogen levels
-When affected with liver disease such as cirrhosis
– Testicular diseases or injuries
-Genetic possibilities
Diagnosis
Doctors diagnose male breast cancer using the very same methodologies that are done with women. The patient first undergoes a physical examination and then is recommended mammography or biopsies. If detected positive, cancer might be of one of the following types.
Ductal Carcinoma– Occurs in the milk ducts; very common and almost every diagnosed case suffer from this particular type of cancer.
Lobular Carcinoma- Occurs in the milk lobules; quite rare.
There are other types as well including Paget disease and inflammatory breast cancers.
Treatment
Breast cancer in men is treatable to an extent and is not as life-threatening as it is in women. It is like cancer in any other part of the body and might require surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, biological therapy or hormone therapy.
While being diagnosed with cancerous growths might be out of our hands, a healthy lifestyle and consuming a wise amount of food rich in anti-oxidants will help build an effective immune system. Moreover, early detection will do a lot of good; any abnormalities should immediately seek medical attention.
