Doctor shines a light on male breast cancer
It is estimated that South Africa has the highest incidence of male breast cancer in the world. Dr Natasha Naidoo shares valuable information on the topic.
MALE breast cancer is an underdiscussed topic, but with this knowledge, we can save lives.
Men are often diagnosed with breast cancer at a more advanced stage. The main reason is they don’t have routine screening mammograms like women do, which detect breast cancer at an early stage when it is easier to treat.
As men may not know they can get breast cancer, they’re usually not on the lookout for changes in their breast tissue.
According to the Breast Health Foundation, it is estimated that South Africa has the highest incidence of male breast cancer in the world, with 1-3% of cases diagnosed in men, compared with the worldwide rate of less than 1%. It is estimated that up to 400 cases of male breast cancer were diagnosed in South Africa in 2018.
Remember, everyone has breast tissue so we are all at risk of breast cancer.
Male breast cancer usually occurs in older men, although it can occur at any age.
Men should examine their breasts monthly to help with early diagnosis.
Signs and symptoms of male breast cancer
o A painless lump
o Changes to the skin covering the chest, such as dimpling, puckering, scaling or redness
o Changes to the nipple, such as changes in the skin colour
o Discharge or bleeding from the nipple
Factors that increase the risk of male breast cancer
o Age – above 60 years
o Hormone therapy for prostate cancer or medicines containing estroegen.
o A family history of breast cancer.
o Inherited DNA changes that increase breast cancer risk. The DNA changes BRCA1 and BRCA2 increase the risk of male breast cancer.
o Klinefelter syndrome: The genetic syndrome when males are born with more than one copy of the X chromosome.
o Cirrhosis of the liver.
o Obesity is linked with higher levels of oestrogen in the body
o Testicle disease or surgery
How to diagnose male breast cancer
• Clinical breast exam
• Imaging tests: Mammogram, an ultrasound or an MRI scan
• Removing a sample of breast cells for testing
How to stage the cancer
• Bone scan
• CT scan
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
Treatment of breast cancer
Treatment is multimodal, depending on the stage of the disease. Treatment includes:
• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Radiation therapy
