Fatal embarrassment: Men can also get breast cancer, and 50% of male breast cancer is in the late stage

Can men get breast cancer too?

Breast cancer, as the name suggests, is a cancer that occurs in the mammary gland tissue, and the breast is mainly composed of fat and mammary gland tissue, which is quite constant. Although male breasts are not as well developed as female breasts, they also have mammary glands, so they are also likely to become cancerous. Male breast cancer is a special type of breast cancer, and its incidence rate is second only to mammary duct carcinoma. The age of onset is often younger, and it often manifests as unilateral breast lumps, nipple discharge or nipple changes, nipple skin erosion, skin ulcers and other symptoms.

Will small breasts prevent breast cancer?

Studies have shown that the greater the breast density, the higher the risk of breast cancer. However, people with large breasts may not have large breast density, and people with small breasts may not have small breast density.

Therefore, women with large breasts are not necessarily more likely to develop breast cancer. This also explains why men with no breasts can also develop breast cancer.

Why is it that once men are diagnosed with breast cancer, the condition is often more serious?

The occurrence of breast cancer is closely related to the large amount of estrogen secretion. The estrogen secretion in men is relatively low, so the incidence of male breast cancer is relatively low. However, it is found in clinical practice that male breast cancer patients are often more serious. On the one hand, this is because most patients mainly have a palpable painless mass as the first symptom. Symptoms such as chest pain will only appear in the advanced and late stages. Male patients rarely suspect that they have breast cancer. Usually, they are only diagnosed after the tumor spreads to adjacent or distant tissues. In this case, the 5-year survival rate is only about 26%.

On the other hand, male breast tissue is weaker, and the lesions are mostly located in the central area, which is prone to lymph node and blood metastasis. Once the disease occurs, it progresses very quickly and is often discovered in the middle and late stages, which makes it easy to miss the best time for treatment.

Data show that the risk of contralateral breast cancer in male breast cancer patients is much higher than that in female breast cancer patients. In terms of overall survival rate, male breast cancer patients are lower than female breast cancer patients. This is because male breast cancer is prone to blood metastasis and spread to other parts and organs of the body. The prognosis of male breast cancer is worse than that of female breast cancer.

What are the risk factors for breast cancer in men?

Genetic factors : It is recommended that individuals with breast cancer in the family should be given priority for genetic testing, especially those with early onset and multiple primary tumors. If the family has other tumor types besides breast cancer, such as ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer or prostate cancer, it is recommended to test for breast cancer susceptibility genes. For men who are confirmed to carry breast cancer-related gene mutations, breast cancer screening should be performed every year starting at the age of 35.

Male breast cancer is highly dependent on hormones, and men with high estrogen levels are more likely to develop breast cancer. In addition, people who suffer from diseases that reduce androgen levels, such as obesity, cryptorchidism, congenital inguinal oblique hernia, orchitis, and adult mumps, are also at high risk of breast cancer.

Occupation-related risk factors Studies have found that exposure to electromagnetic fields or light at night is an important risk factor for male breast cancer, and is related to the duration of exposure; long-term exposure to high temperatures and styrene, formaldehyde and other environments can also easily induce male breast cancer. Obesity, lack of physical exercise, and alcohol intake are also risk factors.

References

1. Chen Qiuji. Men can also get breast cancer[J]. Family Doctor, 2021.10:32-33.

2. Li Jing. Breast cancer gene mutation, men are also implicated[J]:17.

3. Wang Xiaomei. Breast cancer is getting younger, and risk factors need to be taken seriously[J]. Maternal and Child Insurance, 24-25.