Most men are of the view that breast cancer is limited to women only because they do not have breasts like them. The truth is that even men have a small amount of breast tissue, which does not grow like in women. While men are less likely to develop breast cancer, that is not completely impossible though. It is therefore important to develop some knowledge about what breast cancer in men would be like to take necessary steps while there is still time.
The development of a painless yet hard lump over one of the breasts is usually the most common symptom of breast cancer in men. You may also notice bloody discharge from one of the nipples along with some other symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, anemia, and unexplained weight loss. Other symptoms include the following:
In rare cases, you may notice enlargement of breast with hard breast tissue, swelling in the breast, skin changes, and swelling of the lymph nodes. The mass usually grows quickly in this case and is larger than 5cm.
When the cancer has developed to other areas, symptoms may also include shortness of breath, bone pain, nausea, etc.
While symptoms of breast cancer in men are quite similar to breast cancer in women, you will notice certain similarities and differences when you compare the both. For instance:
While the symptoms of breast cancer in men can appear in anyone, the condition is relatively rare in men under age 35. The older you get, the higher the chances of you developing breast cancer. The condition is more common in men between ages 60 and 70. There are some other risk factors as well. For instance:
The progression of breast cancer is divided into different stages to determine the extent of damage it has caused to your body. Staging of breast cancer in women and men is the same, and is determined by considering the lymph node involvement, tumor size, and presence of metastasis (if it has spread to other parts of the body through bloodstream).
It refers to ductal cancer in situ. In this stage, the cancer cells stay within the boundaries of the ducts.
In this stage, the size of the tumor is around 2cm, but the cancer does not affect the lymph nodes yet.
There are two categories of stage II cancers – stage IIA and stage IIB.
This advanced stage cancer is further divided into other categories.
This stage of breast cancer in men refers to metastatic cancer, which means the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. Metastases are usually found in the lungs, bones, brain, or liver.
Knowledge about different symptoms of breast cancer in men improves your chances of recovery. After you notice any symptoms, talk to your doctor who will perform physical exams and order biopsies and mammography.
The treatments used to treat breast cancer in women are also used to treat breast cancer in men, and the options include radiation, surgery, biological therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. The good thing is that men with breast cancer have a higher chance of recovering because they respond much better to hormone therapy than women do. Early diagnosis is again the key to successful treatment.