Male Breast Cancer Symptoms

Male breast cancer symptoms are a very uncommon occurrence, and only one percent of breast cancer cases are those of male breast cancer, men should be aware of the risks to prevent such a happening.

There is no age requisite for men with breast cancer, however, men between 60 years to 70 years of age are most vulnerable. Exposure to radiation is a common male breast cancer risk factor. Also, the risk goes high if there is a family history of breast cancer. Men with Klinefelter's disease and cirrhosis have high risks too. Klinefelter's is when a man abnormally has two X chromosomes instead of one. Cirrhosis comes with high levels of estrogen, which is a big male breast cancer risk factor. Also, men with weight and alcohol problems are more prone to developing breast cancer.

Mutation of genes is also a risk factor. Mutation in genes like BRCA1 or BRCA2 increases the chance of you developing breast cancer, and such mutations generally occur during your life and have not been passed on through heredity. Otherwise, men have a significantly higher chance of developing breast cancer due to heredity; about thirty out of hundred men do get it in this manner, compared to just 5% to 10% female breast cancer victims.

Just as in females, the presence of a lump is a symptom for male breast cancer. It is often painless, and may be occur along with increasing thickness of breasts. The breast skin may appear pitted and show the peau d'orange syndrome. Changes in the nipple, fluid discharge from nipples, inverted nipples, redness around the nipples, and change in the breast skin texture are all symptoms of male breast cancer.

You should instantly get an enlarged breast or other abnormalities examined. For diagnosis, clinical breast examination, biopsies, mammograms, breast ultrasounds, even nipple discharge examination can be adopted. Mammograms are said to work better in men than in women because females have a dense breast tissue which makes the process difficult. If the biopsy reveals cancer cell presence, getting the breast tissue tested for presence of estrogen and progesterone is a good idea, since these female hormones can stimulate cancer growth, as is the case with 80% to 90% male breast cancer cases, and can be stopped at source.

If the diagnosed breast cancer has not spread outside the original site, that is, if it is in situ, a mastectomy gives great results. If the cancer is invasive, which means it has metastasized outside the site where the cancer started developing, doctors test it to see how much it has advanced. There are four stages, Stage I being the most curable and more reactive to treatment, and Stage IV meaning the cancer has metastasized beyond the stage where a certain cure is possible. This grading helps doctors determine what kind of treatment is needed for you.

Breast cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy are adopted to control cancer growth in the last stage, when total cure becomes difficult. For all other stages, treating male breast cancer is hardly different from treating female breast cancer.

Abstain from alcohol intake and lead a healthy life; this is all that is required for better survival chances. Get the help you need from family and friends, and you can get back to leading a normal life, again.