Breast cancer in a man

Breast cancer can also occur in men, but its incidence is a hundred times lower than in women.

Risk factors
Risk factors are the same as in women and include older age, a family history of breast cancer, exposure to higher amounts of estrogen or ionizing radiation, infertility, or obesity. About 5% of cases are associated with Klinefelter syndrome and reduced function of the male gonads. About 10% of cases are diagnosed with a germline mutation of the BRCA2 gene.

Clinical picture and pathology
The pathology of breast cancer in men is very similar to breast cancer in women. However, ER (estrogen-receptor) positivity is much more common in male cancers. The tumor usually presents as a palpable subareolar mass or nipple discharge. Due to the small amount of breast tissue, the lesion is located superficially and easily grows into the chest wall and into the skin with the formation of ulcerations. The tumor metastasizes to the same locations as female breast cancer, mainly to the lungs, brain, bones and liver. Axillary lymph node metastases are present at the time of diagnosis in approximately 50% of cases. The prognosis is the same as that of breast cancer in women.

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