Breast Cancer in Men: Symptoms Types and Treatment

Breast cancer also affects men because it develops in cells that are also present in breast tissue, however, this type of cancer is rare and mainly affects men between 50 and 65 years of age, especially when there is breast cancer in the family such as mother or grandfather, for example.

Symptoms and treatment are similar to breast cancer in women and are more likely to be cured when discovered at an early stage, although most often it is discovered when the disease is in a more advanced stage.

Main Symptoms

Symptoms of breast cancer in men include:

• Nodule or a ball in the chest, behind the nipple or under the areola, which causes no pain;
• Inverted nipple;
• Pain in a certain area of   the chest that arises long after the appearance of the nodule;
• Wrinkled or wavy skin; 
• Outflow of blood or fluid through the nipple;
• Redness or peeling of the skin of the breast or nipple;
• Alterations in the size of the breast;
• Swollen axillary ganglia.

Most cases of breast cancer do not have easy-to-identify symptoms and, therefore, men who have a history of breast cancer in the family should alert the general practitioner so that from the age of 50 they indicate regular exams for diagnosing changes that may indicate cancer. Know the main causes of breast pain in men.

How to Identify Breast Cancer in Men

Through self-examination, the man can identify the presence of a hard nodule in the chest region, but other signs such as bleeding through the nipple and pain are the first symptoms that usually attract attention.

The diagnosis of breast cancer in men should be made by the urologist or hematologist through tests such as mammography, breast ultrasound followed by a breast tissue biopsy. To assess whether the disease metastasized, the doctor may indicate various tests, such as chest x-rays, bone scintigraphy, blood tests and abdominal and pelvic CT. See a complete list of the most commonly used tests to detect this type of cancer.

Types of Breast Cancer in Men

The types of breast cancer in men can be:

• Ductal carcinoma In Situ: cancer cells that form in the ducts of the breasts, but do not invade or expand outside the breast. It can almost always be cured through surgery. 
• Invasive Ductal Carcinoma reaches the wall of the breast duct and develops through the adipose tissue of the breast. It can spread to other organs.
• Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: It grows in the adipose tissue of the breast. It is very rare in men. 
• Paget's disease: begins in the breast ducts and causes scabs on the nipple, peeling, itching, swelling, redness, and bleeding. Paget's disease may be associated with ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive ductal carcinoma.
• Inflammatory breast cancer: it is very rare in men and consists of inflammation of the breast that also causes swelling, redness and burning sensation, unlike forming a nodule.

It is not known exactly what can cause breast cancer in men, but some factors that can apparently contribute are having an advanced age, previously benign breast disease, testicular disease and chromosomal mutations such as Klinefelter Syndrome, in addition to the use of anabolic agents or estrogen, radiation, alcoholism, and obesity.

How the Treatment is Performed

Treatment for breast cancer in men varies according to the degree to which the disease develops, but it usually begins with surgery to remove all affected tissue, as well as swollen glands.

When the cancer is very developed, it is possible that not all cancer cells can be removed and, therefore, it may be necessary to complement the treatment with radiotherapy, chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, for example.

Does Breast Cancer in Men Have a Cure? 

It is more likely to cure when cancer is discovered at the beginning, however, it is more common to be discovered at a more advanced stage. The size of the nodule and the affected nodes should be taken into account, normally there is a greater probability of dying when the nodule is more than 2.5 cm and several nodes are affected. As in women, black men and those with mutations in the BRCA2 gene are less likely to be cured.