What is breast cancer in men
Breast cancer is a disease in which the uncontrolled multiplication of cells in the breast leads to the formation of abnormal cells, forming a tumor. It is the most common type of cancer in women in Brazil (excluding non-melanoma skin tumors) – and can also affect males, although the incidence of breast cancer in men is very low, accounting for up to 1% of all cases of the disease, according to the INCA (2023).
In numbers, this means that in 2020 there were approximately 662 diagnoses of breast cancer in men in Brazil, considering that the INCA (National Cancer Institute) estimated a total of 66,280 new cases in the country.
Subtypes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in Men
Subtypes of breast cancer and the diagnosis of the disease (including its staging) are the same for men as they are for women. Because it is a rare disease in males, there is no routine screening for male breast cancer, such as the mammography done in women.
Symptoms of breast cancer in men
The symptoms of breast cancer in men typically include pain, a lump in the breast, unilateral increase in breast volume, prompting them to seek medical help. This is usually how the tumor is discovered.
Treatment for breast cancer in men
An important difference in male breast cancer is related to surgical treatment. Since the male breast is small and nodules tend to develop behind the nipple, it is usually not possible to perform breast-conserving surgeries, which remove only part of the breast, as is done in women.
Surgery for male breast cancer typically involves total mastectomy: removal of the entire breast, including the areola and nipple (aiming to achieve clear margins). Axillary surgery (removal of one or more lymph nodes from the armpit) should be performed during the same surgical procedure.
Afterward, treatments common to females follow, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy, depending on the clinical stage of the disease and tumor characteristics, as well as the patient’s health condition.
Prevention of breast cancer in men
Prevention of cancer in men follows the same approach of adopting healthy lifestyle habits recommended for women, such as avoiding smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and maintaining a routine of physical activities and healthy eating, which reduces the risk of developing the disease.
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