Breast Cancer in Men

Breast cancer in men is very rare, and just like most other cancers, what causes breast cancer in men is not fully understood. However, there are some factors which have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer in men.

These risk factors include:

• Age – The incidence of most cancers increases with age and breast cancer is not an exemption. Most cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in men between 60 and 70 years of age – breast cancer in men is a rare condition, and it is even rarer, almost unheard of, in young men.

• Family history – There is reliable evidence that breast cancer run in the family: men whose mother or sisters have breast cancer have increased risk of having the condition. This has been linked to a number of genetic mutations, the most significant being the mutation of the BRCA2 gene. This genetic mutations can be transferred down the family line which explain the increased risk in men whose first degree relative have been diagnosed of breast cancer.

• Hormonal therapy – Men who are on treatment for prostate cancer, on Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar) for benign prostatic hyperplasia or who are undergoing hormonal therapy as part of treatment for sex change are also at risk of developing breast cancer. This is because high level of oestrogen or prolonged exposure to oestrogen have been implicated in the development of breast cancer and one of the major component of this hormonal therapy is oestrogen. Exposure to radiation for cancer treatment and industries that uses them have also been linked to increased risk of breast cancer in men.
• Obesity – The fat cells in the body converts the male sex hormone (androgen) to female sex hormone (oestrogen) by a process called aromatization. This makes the circulating oestrogen in the body to be in excess of the usual amount. So, though most men have low risk of breast cancer, obese men have increased risk. Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, as well as that of many other diseases and cancers.
• Alcohol abuse – Long term alcohol abuse causes severe scarring of the liver resulting in a condition called liver cirrhosis. In this condition, the liver becomes distorted, hardened and lumpy, and its normal function, which includes the breaking down of oestrogen, is distorted. This leads to accumulation of oestrogen in the body and subsequently, increases the risk of breast cancer.
• Occupational hazards – There are evidences that men who work in places such as car manufacturing plants, steel works, rolling mills, and other hot environments are at increased risk of breast cancer. The high temperature in such working environments may damage the testicles which produces hormones that inhibit the production of oestrogen in males. This leads to increase production of oestrogen and increased risk of breast cancer. Exposures to harmful industrial chemicals have also been linked to increased risk of breast cancer in men.
• Medical conditions such as having an undescended testicle, having mumps as an adult or having one or both testicles surgically removed (orchiectomy) may increase male breast cancer risk.
• Klinefelter’s syndrome is an inherited condition affecting about one in 1,000 men. A normal man has two sex chromosomes (X and Y). He inherited the female X chromosome from his mother and the male Y chromosome from his father. Men with Klinefelter’s syndrome have inherited an extra female X chromosome, resulting in an abnormal sex chromosome makeup of XXY rather than the normal male XY. Affected Klinefelter’s patients produce high levels of estrogen and develop enlarged breasts, sparse facial and body hair, small testes, and the inability to produce sperm. Some studies have shown an increase in the risk of developing breast cancer in men with this condition.

It is however important to note that having a particular factor that increases the risk of breast cancer does not mean you will definitely get breast cancer. In the same vein, not having any of the risk factors does not mean that you can definitely not get breast cancer. So, learn to do a self-breast examination, check you breast often and if you find anything unusual, get it checked out as soon as you can – the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the better your chances of survival.

Culled and edited.