Understanding male breast cancer – KRDO



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Male bad cancer is a rare cancer that forms in the bad tissue of men. Though bad cancer is most commonly thought of as a disease that affects women, bad cancer does occur in men.

Male bad cancer is most common in older men, though it can occur at any age.

Men diagnosed with male bad cancer at an early stage have a good chance for a cure. Treatment typically involves surgery to remove the bad tissue. Other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, may be recommended based on your particular situation.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of male bad cancer can include:

— A painless lump or thickening in your bad tissue
— Changes to the skin covering your bad, such as dimpling, puckering, redness or scaling
— Changes to your nipple, such as redness or scaling, or a nipple that begins to turn inward
— Discharge from your nipple

Causes

It’s not clear what causes male bad cancer.

Doctors know that male bad cancer occurs when some bad cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do. The accumulating cells form a tumor that may spread (metastasize) to nearby tissue, to the lymph nodes or to other parts of the body.

Where bad cancer begins in men

Everyone is born with a small amount of bad tissue. Breast tissue consists of milk-producing glands (lobules), ducts that carry milk to the bad, and fat.

During puberty, women begin developing more bad tissue, and men do not. But because men are born with a small amount of bad tissue, they can develop bad cancer.

Types of bad cancer diagnosed in men include:

Cancer that begins in the milk ducts (ductal carcinoma). Nearly all male bad cancer is ductal carcinoma.

Cancer that begins in the milk-producing glands (lobular carcinoma). This type is rare in men because they have few lobules in their bad tissue.

Other types of cancer. Other, rarer types of bad cancer that can occur in men include Paget’s disease of the nipple and inflammatory bad cancer.

Inherited genes that increase bad cancer risk

Some men inherit abnormal (mutated) genes from their parents that increase the risk of bad cancer. Mutations in one of several genes, especially a gene called BRCA2, put you at greater risk of developing bad and prostate cancers.

If you have a strong family history of cancer, discuss this with your doctor. Your doctor may recommend that you meet with a genetic counselor in order to consider genetic testing to see if you carry genes that increase your risk of cancer.

Risk factors

Factors that increase the risk of male bad cancer include:

Older age. The risk of bad cancer increases as you age. Male bad cancer is most often diagnosed in men in their 60s.

Exposure to estrogen. If you take estrogen-related drugs, such as those used for hormone therapy for prostate cancer, your risk of bad cancer is increased.

Family history of bad cancer. If you have a close family member with bad cancer, you have a greater chance of developing the disease.

Klinefelter’s syndrome. This genetic syndrome occurs when boys are born with more than one copy of the X chromosome. Klinefelter’s syndrome causes abnormal development of the testicles. As a result, men with this syndrome produce lower levels of certain male hormones (androgens) and more female hormones (estrogens).

Liver disease. Certain conditions, such as cirrhosis of the liver, can reduce male hormones and increase female hormones, increasing your risk of bad cancer.

Obesity. Obesity is badociated with higher levels of estrogen in the body, which increases the risk of male bad cancer.

Testicle disease or surgery. Having inflamed testicles (orchitis) or surgery to remove a testicle (orchiectomy) can increase your risk of male bad cancer.

Source: Mayo Clinic

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