Breast cancer in Men

You do not hear much concerning male breast cancer and some people even does know it exists. It is a malignant tumor which initiates in the breast tissue cells, so it can develop in both sexes. 

Men do not have the mammography test, which can identify whether the person has or not the disease. It is confirmed after testing and taking biopsies of the patient, that looks for medical help, complaining of the following symptoms: 

●    protuberance or swelling

●    wrinkled or waved skin

●    nipple retraction

●    redness and axillary lymph nodes swelling

Those alterations are not always caused by cancer. For instance, most of the breast nodes in men is caused by the increased volume of the breasts, called gynecomastia. However, if you notice any alteration, immediately consult a physician to have the diagnosis.

Before all this, the patient will be interviewed to get their complete familiar and clinical history analyzed, along with any possible risk factors. If the symptoms and the signs indicate that the patient may have cancer, the tests results can confirm it.

The main treatment methods are: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and target therapy, and they are performed based on the physician’s experience with female cases. Since in men the breast cancer is almost never diagnosed, it cannot have a broader and more detailed study. 

Local Treatment x Systemic Treatment

Local Therapy: Tumor is treated locally, without affecting the rest of the body, with surgery and radiation therapy. 

Systemic Therapy: Using medication, either orally or directly into the blood stream, to reach the cancer cells at any part of the body. We have chemotherapy, hormone therapy and target therapy.

Adjuvant Treatment x Neoadjuvant Treatment

Adjuvant Therapy: Is comprised by applying chemotherapy, hormone therapy or radiation therapy, after surgery, to destroy the remaining cancer cells. 

Neoadjuvant Treatment: Is the chemotherapy that antecedes surgery. Many times, tumor is located in the primary location, but is big or invades neighbor structures and make surgery difficult, that is why this treatment is indicated to shrink the tumor and facilitates surgery.