Male breast cancer

Although breast cancer in men is fairly rare, it can still happen. If you’ve been diagnosed, you may have questions about what to do now. We’ll help with providing information on male breast cancer and guiding you through your next steps.

Structure of the breast

Male breasts are smaller than female breasts, but they have similar structures. Inside the breast, there are milk lobules (glands that make milk) and milk ducts (tubes that deliver milk to the nipple).

Breast cancer in men and in women starts most often in the milk ducts. Men have few, if any, lobules, so they’re very unlikely to develop breast cancer in the lobules.

The most common types of breast cancers in males are called invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) and invasive lobular carcinomas (ILC). They’re often found near the nipple. Being invasive means they’ve grown into other parts of the breast after starting in the milk ducts or lobules.

When cancer starts in milk ducts and stays there, it’s called a ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). These cancers are less common, but sometimes they eventually become invasive.

Some other rare types of breast cancer in males start in other tissues of the breast. Breast cancer may also be found in nearby lymph nodes.

Symptoms of breast cancer in men

The most common first symptom of men’s breast cancer is a hard lump that may feel like a pebble. Other common symptoms among males with breast cancer are similar to those in women.

• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin
• Nipple discharge
• Nipple that retracts (pulls inward toward the breast)
• Pain near the nipple
• Redness or flaky skin on the breast
• Swelling in the breast

One difference in these cancers is that they’re usually not found until they’re more advanced and therefore are harder to treat. Women’s cancers are discovered earlier because they’re advised to get regular screening mammograms. Since breast cancer in men is so rare, mammograms aren’t recommended for them.

Another reason for the delay in diagnosis may be because men don’t always know to watch for potential symptoms like pain or lumps. Or they may notice such symptoms but be embarrassed about them and not have them checked out. Everyone should report such changes to their primary care provider as soon as possible.

Risk factors for breast cancer in men

• Being older than 50
• Conditions of testicles: injury, swelling or surgery to remove the testicles
• Family history of breast cancer (especially breast cancer in male family members)
• Genetic mutations
• History of hormone therapy treatment (meds that contain estrogen)
• History of radiation therapy to the chest
• Klinefelter syndrome (a rare genetic condition in which a male has an extra X chromosome)
• Liver disease
• Overweight and obesity

Treatment for male breast cancer

Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy are the most common treatments for breast cancer in males.

When you have suspicious tissue removed through a biopsy or a surgery, it’s sent to a pathologist for testing on whether the cancer is responsive to estrogen, progesterone or HER2 proteins. If the cancer tests positive for any of those substances, specific medications can be used to target them.

If you have certain risk factors, your doctor may recommend genetic testing for genes that are related to breast cancer. The results of such testing may also suggest treatments to be used.

When you choose treatment from Aurora, you’ll have access to our clinical trials for breast cancer. When you participate in clinical trials you may gain access to the latest experimental treatments and you’ll help us gather valuable information about breast cancer in males.

Breast cancer survival rates are similar in men and women for treatment for tumors that are similar in size and stage (how far it has spread).

Breast cancer in nonbinary people

Information about breast cancer in nonbinary people varies depending on the source. Most of what you may find is about the experiences of individual people rather than from studies of groups of people. To learn more, find a health care provider who is affirming of LGBTQ+ people.