Male breast cancer

 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Before the month is over we wanted to highlight the fact that men can also get breast cancer. While the overall risk of a male getting breast cancer is low, radiation exposure, high estrogen level (due to obesity, liver disease, radiation exposure or hormone treatment) and a family history of breast cancer (in women as well as men) can contribute to male breast cancer.

About 10 - 15% of men with breast cancer carry the HER-2 gene like the man featured in the above story, and the same number of men with breast cancer carry the BRCA-2 gene. Since genes are passed from parents to a child, it's important for men to be aware that they can inherit genes that seemingly would only target women, and that they can pass these genes on to their own children. These genes also target men causing not only breast cancer but also other cancers. The BRCA-2 gene can cause an 8-fold increased risk of a man developing prostate cancer, which is a 60% chance of having prostate cancer in his lifetime. Pancreatic cancer risk is over 7-fold risk if you carry the BRCA1 or 2 mutation, with a sharp increase in risk after age 50. For male breast cancer this gene mutation causes an increase from a 0.02% risk to a 7 to 9% risk. Men please do not dismiss a lump in your chest area or under your arm. Get it checked as it could be cancer and you should get it treated as soon as possible.

At Cancer Crossing we are aware of a family where both husband and wife had breast cancer, 4 of their 5 children tested positive for BRCA-2, three of those children have had breast cancer and at least one young adult grandchild has had breast cancer. They have all beat this cancer. This highlights the need for vigilance, for getting lumps checked and for being proactive in getting treatment as soon as you can.

Breast cancer can affect us all.