A breast tumor or cancer is suspected if the guy has a hard lump underneath the nipple and areola. Male breast cancer exhibits the same symptoms as female breast cancer, including a lump. Male breast cancer may also cause skin changes around the nipple. These include:
- Redness or sores on the chest or nipple area
- An inverted nipple (nipple is pulled inward)
- Discharge from the nipple
- Redness or scaling of the skin covering the breast
- Thickening of the breast tissue
- Nipple pain
- Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm
It is important to note that breast enlargement is not a sign of breast cancer. The medical term for enlarged breasts is gynecomastia. Sometimes, the breast size can increase disproportionately. A few causes of breast enlargement include:
Breast cancer, when detected early, is treatable. Do not delay consulting a physician if any of these symptoms appear. Postponing the treatment can cause cancer to spread to other tissues.
Can men have breast cancer?
Male breast cancer is a rare condition, accounting for only 1 percent of all breast cancers.
The reason for the male to have breast cancer is that even males have rudimentary breast tissues from embryonic development. The difference between a male breast and a female breast is in the amount of tissue.
Before hitting puberty, the breast tissue is similar in boys and girls. It comprises fat, potential milk-producing glands called lobules, and ducts that transport milk to the nipples.
Once puberty hits a girl, their ovaries start to produce female hormones (estrogen) that cause the breasts to grow. Boys produce male hormones (testosterone) that suppress the growth of breast tissue.
Most breast cancer cases are identified between the ages of 60 and 70 years.
QUESTION
What percentage of the human body is water? See AnswerWhat are the different types of male breast cancer?
The different types of cancer found in men include:
- Ductal carcinoma: This is cancer that originates in the milk duct. It is the most common type of male breast cancer.
- Lobular carcinoma: This is cancer that originates in the milk-producing gland. It is the rarest type of cancer found in men because they have a few lobules in their breast tissue.
- Inflammatory breast cancer: It is a type of breast cancer in which the breast looks red and swollen and feels warm.
- Paget disease of the nipple: A tumor that has grown from ducts beneath the nipple onto the surface of the nipple.
Which men are more likely to get breast cancer?
Men with the following risk factors are more likely to get breast cancer:
- A strong family history of breast cancer or genetic mutations
- Previous radiation exposure of the chest
- Gynecomastia due to drug, hormone treatments, infections, or poisons
- Cirrhosis or other severe liver diseases
- Obesity
- A rare genetic condition called Klinefelter syndrome
- High estrogen levels
- Age between 60 and 70 years
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References
WebMD. Breast Cancer in Men. https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-men#1-3
Breastcancer.org. The Risk Factors for Male Breast Cancer. breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/male_bc/risk
Breastcancer.org. The Risk Factors for Male Breast Cancer. breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/male_bc/risk
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anastrozole
Anastrozole is a medication used in the treatment of certain types of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Anastrozole is used in different stages of breast cancer to prevent, halt or slow down the progression of cancer growth. Common side effects of anastrozole include hot flashes, dilation of blood vessels, high blood pressure (hypertension), cardiovascular disease, heart attack (myocardial infarction), ischemic cerebrovascular event, blood clot block in vein (venous thromboembolic event), deep venous thromboembolic event, inflammation with clot in the vein (thrombophlebitis), chest pain related to coronary artery disease (angina pectoris), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion (dyspepsia), gastrointestinal disorder, loss of appetite (anorexia), dry mouth (xerostomia), joint inflammation (arthritis), and others. Do not take if pregnant, you may become pregnant, or are breastfeeding.
Breast Cancer in Children
Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer globally. It is mostly seen in women, whereas men are rarely affected. Breast tumors are occasionally seen in children and are mostly benign (noncancerous) and thought to be harmless. Breast lumps in children are known as fibroadenomas, and girls are more likely to develop these tumors. There is no standard staging of breast cancer in children.
Common Medical Abbreviations & Terms
Doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals use abbreviations, acronyms, and other terminology for instructions and information in regard to a patient's health condition, prescription drugs they are to take, or medical procedures that have been ordered. There is no approved this list of common medical abbreviations, acronyms, and terminology used by doctors and other health- care professionals. You can use this list of medical abbreviations and acronyms written by our doctors the next time you can't understand what is on your prescription package, blood test results, or medical procedure orders. Examples include:
- ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
- ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
- cap: Capsule.
- CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. A treatment for sleep apnea.
- DJD: Degenerative joint disease. Another term for osteoarthritis.
- DM: Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- HA: Headache
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. A name for two disorders of the gastrointestinal (BI) tract, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- JT: Joint
- N/V: Nausea or vomiting.
- p.o.: By mouth. From the Latin terminology per os.
- q.i.d.: Four times daily. As in taking a medicine four times daily.
- RA: Rheumatoid arthritis
- SOB: Shortness of breath.
- T: Temperature. Temperature is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
exemestane
Exemestane is a medication approved for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and is also used off-label to prevent breast cancer in high-risk premenopausal women. Common side effects of exemestane include fatigue, hot flashes, pain, headache, insomnia, depression, joint pain (arthralgia), low count of lymphocyte white blood cells (lymphocytopenia), nausea, high blood pressure (hypertension), chest pain, and others. Do not take if pregnant or breastfeeding.Faslodex (fulvestrant) Injection
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Fluorouracil (5-FU) injection is a chemotherapy medication used in the treatment of some cancers including gastric, pancreatic, colorectal, and breast cancers in adults. Common side effects of fluorouracil include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite (anorexia), oral inflammation (stomatitis), inflammation of the throat and esophagus (esophagopharyngitis), reduced blood flow to the intestinal region (mesenteric ischemia), gastrointestinal (GI) tissue sloughing, GI ulcer, GI hemorrhage, plaque buildup in coronary arteries (coronary arteriosclerosis), chest pain associated with coronary artery disease (angina pectoris), irregular heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia), and others.megestrol
Megestrol is a synthetic form of progesterone, one of the female sex hormones, and has effects similar to the natural hormone. Megestrol is used to treat extreme weight loss and muscle wasting syndrome (cachexia) associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the advanced stage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and advanced breast and endometrial cancers. Common side effects of megestrol include diarrhea, gas (flatulence), nausea, vomiting, indigestion (dyspepsia), abdominal pain, constipation, oral Candida yeast infection (moniliasis), dry mouth (xerostomia), excessive salivation (sialorrhea), skin rash, hair loss (alopecia), and others. Do not take if pregnant or breastfeeding.Nerlynx (neratinib)
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Paclitaxel is a chemotherapy drug used to treat various types of cancers including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma. Common side effects of paclitaxel include blood disorders, bleeding, infections, injection site reaction, leakage of drug out of the vein (extravasation), skin rash, hair loss (alopecia), hypersensitivity reactions, severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), severe skin reactions, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore mouth (stomatitis), and others. Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding.palbociclib
Palbociclib is a chemotherapy drug used to treat HER2-negative and HR-positive breast cancers in women and men, which are advanced or have spread to other organs (metastatic), in combination with an anti-estrogenic drug. Palbociclib can cause fetal harm as well as male infertility. Common side effects of palbociclib/letrozole or fulvestrant combination therapy include blood disorders, infections, fatigue, weakness (asthenia), high temperature (pyrexia), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, oral inflammation (stomatitis), decreased appetite, increase in liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), taste disorder (dysgeusia), hair loss (alopecia), and others. Do not take if breastfeeding.
What Are the Risk Factors for Developing Breast Cancer?
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Verzenio (abemaciclib) is a an oral tablet that attacks tumor cells in patients with HR+/HER2- breast cancer. Verzenio attacks proteins that govern how quickly cancer cells need to grow and reproduce, making it difficult for the cancer cells to continue growing. Common side effects include diarrhea, low white blood cell count, interstitial lung disease, and liver toxicity.Vijoice (alpelisib)
Vijoice (alpelisib) is a prescription medication used to treat the symptoms of breast cancer and severe manifestations of PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS) in adults and children 2 years of age and older who require systemic therapy. Vijoice may cause serious side effects, including hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of your face/lips/tongue/throat, chest pain, cough, shortness of breath, severe or ongoing diarrhea, blisters or ulcers in your mouth, red or swollen gums, trouble swallowing, pale skin, unusual tiredness, cold hands and feet, little or no urination, increased thirst, increased urination, and others. Vijoice can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Lactating women should not breastfeed during treatment with Vijoice.
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Zoladex (goserelin acetate) implant is a GnRH agonist used to treat advanced breast cancer, prostate cancer, endometriosis, and endometrial thinning. Serious side effects vary depending on the condition treated.