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Male Breast Cancer Center - Rapid City, SD

Rapid City Oncologist Doctors for Male Breast Cancer

Type of Physician: Oncologist

What is a Oncologist?

A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; the oncologist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer and other benign and malignant tumors. These subspecialists decide on and administer chemotherapy as well as consult with surgeons and radiotherapists on other treatment for cancer.

Specialty: Oncology (Medical)

Common Name: Cancer Doctor

Rapid City, South Dakota

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Male Breast Cancer

What is male breast cancer?

Men possess a small amount of nonfunctioning breast tissue (breast tissue that cannot produce milk) that is concentrated in the area directly behind the nipple on the chest wall. Like breast cancer in women, cancer of the male breast is the uncontrolled growth of the cells of this breast tissue.

Breast tissue in both young boys and girls consists of tubular structures known as ducts. At puberty, a girl's ovaries produce female hormones (estrogen) that cause the ducts to grow and milk glands (lobules) to develop at the ends of the ducts. The amount of fat and connective tissue in the breast also increases as girls reach puberty. On the other hand, male hormones (such as testosterone) secreted by the testes suppress the growth of breast tissue and the development of lobules. The male breast, therefore, is made up of predominantly small, undeveloped ducts and a small amount of fat and connective tissue.

How common is male breast cancer?

Male breast cancer is a rare condition, accounting for only about 1% of all breast cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, about 1,990 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed, and that breast cancer will cause approximately 480 deaths in men (in comparison, over 40,000 women die of breast cancer each year). Breast cancer is 100 times more common in women than in men. Most cases of male breast cancer are detected in men between the ages of 60 and 70, although the condition can develop in men of any age. A man's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about one-tenth of 1%, or one in 1,000.

What are causes and risk factors of male breast cancer?

As with cancer of the female breast, the cause of cancer of the male breast has not been fully characterized, but both environmental influences and genetic (inherited) factors likely play a role in its develop...

Recommended Reading Related to Male Breast Cancer

Gynecomastia »

What is gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is enlargement of the gland tissue of the male breast. During infancy, puberty, and in middle-aged to older men, gynecomastia can be common. Gynecomastia must be distinguished from pseudogynecomastia, which refers to the presence of fat deposits in the breast area of obese men. True gynecomastia results from growth of the glandular, or breast tissue, which is present in very small amounts in men.

What causes gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia results from an imbalance in hormone levels in which levels of estrogen (female hormones) are increased relative to levels of androgens (male hormones). Gynecomastia that occurs in normally-growing infant and pubertal boys that resolves on its own with time is known as physiologic gynecomastia.

All individuals, whether male or female, possess both female hormones (estrogens) and male hormones (androgens). During puberty, levels of these hormones...

Emergency Contact for Rapid City

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Rapid City Hospitals *

Regional West Center for Behavioral Health
915 Mountain View Rd
Rapid City, SD 57702
(605)719-7200

Rapid City Regional Hospital
353 Fairmont Blvd
Rapid City, SD 57701
(605)719-1000

Black Hills Rehabilitation Hospital
2908 5th St
Rapid City, SD 57701
(605)719-1100

Rapid City Indian Health Service Hospital
3200 Canyon Lake Dr
Rapid City, SD 57702
(605)355-2500

Sturgis Community Health Care Center
949 Harmon St
Sturgis, SD 57785
(605)347-2536

VA Black Hills Health Care System Fort Meade
113 Comanche Rd
Fort Meade, SD 57741
(605)347-2511

Custer Community Hospital
1039 Montgomery St
Custer, SD 57730
(605)673-2229

Northern Hills General Hospital
61 Charles St
Deadwood, SD 57732
(605)578-2313

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