October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to realize that men as well as women can get breast cancer. 

“Breast cancer in men is rare,” said Karen Ryczak, a registered nurse who is vice president—programs and surveillance at the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute in Scranton, PA. “According to the National Cancer Institute, fewer than one in one hundred breast cancers occur in men. Men usually develop the disease between the ages of 60 and 70, although it can occur at any age.”

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2,670 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2026 and about 530 men will die from the disease.

Ryczak relayed information from the Komen Foundation, an organization dedicated to combating breast cancer, that men who have inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations from family members are more likely to be candidates for breast cancer, although the incidence is still low. About five to 10 percent of all breast cancers result from inherited gene mutations.

Men who have a family history of breast cancer should alert their primary care doctor. While there is no recommended screening for male breast cancer, men can do a self-examination of their breasts. This is especially true for men who are at increased risk because of family history.

During self-examination, here are some things to look for: 

A lump, hard knot or thickening in the breast, chest or underarm area. This is usually painless, but might be tender.

A change in the size or shape of the breast.

Dimpling, puckering or redness of the skin of the breast.

An itchy, scaly patch, sore or rash on the nipple.

Pulling in of the nipple (an inverted nipple) or in other parts of the breast.

Nipple discharge, which is rare.

If a man suspects that he has breast cancer, he should contact his primary care doctor promptly for an evaluation. The doctor will most likely examine the breast and, perhaps, order a mammogram or an ultrasound on the breast and could send the patient for a consultation with a surgeon to have a biopsy done. If the biopsy is positive for cancer, additional testing will be done to determine the stage of the disease. Depending on the stage, the patient might be referred to a medical oncologist and/or a radiation oncologist for treatment.

Because male breast cancer is treated in the same way as female breast cancer, there are no oncologists specializing in treating male cancer patients. “Even though men can often feel a lump or change in a breast sooner than a woman because there is less breast tissue, men are often diagnosed at a later stage because they don’t immediately seek medical attention,” Ryczak said. “This can be due to lack of awareness about breast cancer in men.”

She concluded, “Men, especially those with risk factors, should promptly report any abnormalities in their breasts to their primary care physicians. Breast cancer treatment is most effective and survival improved when male breast cancer is diagnosed at the earliest stage. Five-year survival rates for localized [early disease in the breast only] are 95 percent but drop to 20 percent for metastatic male breast cancer [cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body].” 

See also a featured story on a survivor of male breast cancer.