Can men get breast cancer?

October is usually the month when the world is suddenly hit with a proliferation of pink products and pink ribbons. By now, most people recognize the signs of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Although targeted at women, did you know that men can get breast cancer too? Yes, men too have breast tissue and are not spared the threat of breast cancer.

The heartening thing is that male breast cancer is rare and a man’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about 1 in 1000 (source)

The most common symptom of male breast canceris a firm non-painful mass located just below the nipple. There may be skin changes in the area of the nipple which include ulceration of the skin, puckering or dimpling, redness or scaling of the nipple or retraction (turning inward) of the nipple. In serious circumstances, there may be discharge from the nipple.

The detection of male breast cancer is similar to that of breast cancer in women – palpating the breast i.e. by feel. Men have lesser breast tissue so it may be easier to detect.

Here are some links that may be useful :-

• Male breast cancer and how to detect
• Information from Mayo Clinic
• American Cancer Society