Breast cancer affects men despite common myth

(Aging Untold) — One in eight women will get breast cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society, but women aren’t the only ones at risk.

Men can get breast cancer despite a common misconception that it’s a woman’s disease.

A man’s risk of developing breast cancer is approximately one in 1,000, Dr. Christine Klassen, director of the Diagnostic Breast Clinic at Mayo Clinic, said.

“But for some men, particularly men who have a strong family history of breast cancer or a family history of gene mutations such as the BRCA2 mutation, that risk can be as high as about six in 100,” Klassen said.

Men have small amounts of breast tissue behind each nipple, which is where most male breast cancer lumps develop.

Delayed diagnosis a concern

Even if men notice lumps, they often delay seeing a provider because they don’t know they’re at risk or they may be embarrassed, Klassen said.

“It’s important for us to be able to catch it as early as possible so that we can have less intense treatments and better outcomes,” Klassen said.

Treatment for male breast cancer is similar to what many women with breast cancer experience, Klassen said.

A mastectomy is the surgical removal of breast tissue. There are also estrogen blockers to prevent the disease from coming back, and sometimes radiation.

Most men don’t need regular screening like women do, but for those at high risk, a screening mammography could help detect cancer early, Klassen said.

Any time a man notices a lump, he should have it evaluated because early detection saves lives, she said.

“If you have tissue in any organ, it can become cancer, so it’s not gender specific,” Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician and Aging Untold expert, said.