Male breast cancer numbers rising most fail to spot it until it has spread to lymph nodes

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 24 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT


Research carried out at Texas University indicates that male breast cancer numbers are rising and most men fail to spot it until it is too late. Even though the number of cases of male breast cancers is much lower than female breast cancers, the number of male cases has increase from 0.86 to 1.08 per 100,000 men in 20 years.

Experts in the UK say that although it is rare, men should be aware of changes.

You can read about this study in the journal Cancer. The article in Cancer says that most men are not aware of the cancer inside them.

The study examined data from the American National Cancer Institute from 1973 to 1998. The researchers looked at cancer incidence and survival rates. A total of 2,524 male cases and 380,856 female cases of breast cancer were examined.

The average age for men being diagnosed with breast cancer was 67 years, for women it was 62 years.

When of the men were diagnosed they were at the more advanced stages of the cancer, which had spread to their lymph nodes.

"Male breast cancer is rare, accounting for less than one per cent of all breast cancer….Men should be alert to the possibility that the disease could affect them…It's perhaps ironic that tumours in men are easier to feel than they are in women, yet the disease is being discovered at a later stage in men than in women," said Professor Sharon Giordano, study leader.

The scientists say that late diagnosis in men could be because men do not expect to get breast cancer, if they notice anything they often think it is gynecomastia (breast tissue growth, a benign condition). Gynecomastia affects about 30% of men. Gynecomastia is more common among adolescent boys, it can go away and come back later on in life.

Although men are usually diagnosed at a later stage of cancer development than women, survival rates among men and women with breast cancer are pretty much the same. The scientists noticed that oestrogen-positive tumours are more likely to be found in men.

"We are not sure why this is so, but it may indicate some important differences in tumour biology. In addition, this implies that use of tamoxifen in men may be as beneficial as it is to many women….Now that we have a clearer understanding of the biology of breast cancer in men, further research is needed to determine the optimal treatment for men," said Professor Giordano.

In the UK 300 men and 41,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Most campaigns are aimed at women.

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