Breast Cancer – it knows no gender

Breast cancer is a disease that is generally associated with affecting women, but men get it too. Around 390 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, while 55,000 women are diagnosed with the disease.

Breast cancer in men develops in the small amount of breast tissue men have behind their nipples. It usually occurs in men over 60, but can very occasionally affect younger men.

According to the NHS Website, signs of breast cancer in men to look out for include:

• a lump in the breast – this is usually hard, painless and doesn’t move around within the breast
• the nipple turning inwards (inverted nipple)
• fluid oozing from the nipple (nipple discharge), which may be streaked with blood
• a sore or rash around the nipple that doesn’t go away
• the nipple or surrounding skin becoming hard, red or swollen
• small bumps in the armpit (swollen glands).

The treatment for breast cancer in men depends on how far the cancer has spread.If the cancer is detected at an early stage, it can be treated before it spreads to nearby parts of the body and possible treatments include:

• surgery to remove the affected breast tissue and nipple (mastectomy) and some of the glands in your armpit
• radiotherapy – where radiation is used to kill cancer cells
• chemotherapy – where medication is used to kill cancer cells
• other medicines that help stop breast cancer growing – including tamoxifen and trastuzumab (Herceptin).

Many men have surgery followed by one or more of the other treatments. This can help stop the cancer coming back in the future.

The outlook for breast cancer in men varies depending on how far it has spread by the time it’s diagnosed. It may be possible to cure breast cancer it it’s caught at an early stage.

A cure is much less likely if the cancer isn’t found until it has spread beyond the breast. In these cases, treatment can relieve your symptoms and help you live longer.

The exact cause of breast cancer in men isn’t known, but there are some things that increase your risk of getting it. These include:

• genes and family history – inheriting faulty versions of genes called BRCA1 or BRCA2 increases your risk of breast cancer
• conditions that can increase the level of oestrogen in the body – including obesity, Klinefelter syndrome and scarring of the liver (cirrhosis)
• previous radiotherapy to the chest area.

It’s not certain if you can do anything to reduce your risk, but eating a balanced diet, losing weight if you’re overweight and not drinking too much alcohol may help.

For further information, please visit the NHS Website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-in-men/

Loveness Chihoyi, Trainee Legal Executive in the Medical Injury Team at Ashtons Legal, comments: “It is important to raise awareness that breast cancer isn’t a women-only disease, it does happen to men too. The more we know about the disease, the more likely it can be detected earlier and the more likely one can have a better prognosis. Men should accordingly be encouraged to check themselves regularly for breast cancer, so as to avoid delay in diagnosis and appropriate treatment.”