According to the American Cancer Society, 2470 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in men in 2017. Unfortunately most of the cases were detected in their advanced stages. This also means that 460 men out of the total diagnosed were expected to die of male breast cancer, and you thought it was only a woman’s disease?
Image Source: www.hivehealthmedia.com
The above statistic alone makes it extremely crucial for us to know and understand the early signs and symptoms of this lethal disease. Only early detection and prevention can nip the disease in the bud. Here are 12 symptoms of male breast cancer according to doctors.
Image Source: anatomychartee.co
You should always keep a watch out for any noticeable change in shape or size of one or both of your breasts at all times. Usually the changes in the pectoral regions are painless and therefore easy to ignore. This precisely makes it deadly and dangerous enough to be alert about.
Image Source: elmanana.com.mx
Just as this is a symptom of female breast cancer, it can occur in men too. Usually there are formations of small painless lumps behind or around the nipples. These pectoral lumps are usually firm and do not move easily when nudged or pressed. If you find any of these, immediately go for breast imagery or needle biopsy to check if the lump is cancerous or not. Do not confuse this with the harmless benign gynecomastia or breast enlargement found in men due to hormonal imbalance.
Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Constant pain in the nipple area which is not caused by exterior accidents or injury are the tell tale red flags for a run to the doctor. Persistent pain in the chest that to which is always focused around the pectoral region is another dangerous signal.
Image Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.za
Though it may sound alarming in nature but usually it’s the earliest stage of breast cancer formation which can be observed and thankfully not ignored. Irrelevant of the kind of discharge whether clear or with blood, you must get a medical checkup immediately.
Image Source: www.breastlink.com
According to oncologists and cancer specialists, any sort of rash or redness around the breast area can be a sign of active inflammatory breast cancer in men. Usually, the skin breaks up in rashes and oedema mimicking an infection in the chest muscle tissues due to accumulation of fluids. If any such abnormalities are noticed, consult a doctor immediately.
Image Source: www.cancerjournal.net
This again is a telltale sign of an active cancerous development in male breast tissues. Usually, 40-50% cases of male breast cancer involves a stage in which the appearance of the nipple area has drastically altered due to swelling or retraction or inversion in which the nipples seem to be inverted. There will also be redness and scaling. This condition of nipple retraction can be a benign condition but its best to get a checkup done.
Breast cancer in men, unlike women, does not limit itself to the breast area. It could easily spread to the lymph nodes where the risk of this happening is much higher in men than women. The first lymph node area that it could be detected in is the armpits but what is worse is that by the time the cancer is detected, it may have already spread to the lymph nodes. The faster you get a diagnosis, the quicker you can start medication and therapy to arrest the disease.
Image Source: www.zipheal.com
Cancer has this nasty tendency to spread and most of the cases in men, by the time breast cancers are diagnosed it has already spread to the bones. Therefore if you are constantly experiencing pain in the chest bones or rib cage area, you must get a thorough scan done to detect if there is any spread of the disease.
Image Source: www.drugline.org
This condition is also called Mammary Paget’s disease and is rare with a 1% chance of it occurring in men. The epidermis is invaded by Paget cells causing a rash or crusting around the nipple area. If you feel the skin all around your nipples and its core is getting dry and crusty or flaking out with slight pain or irritation, then a biopsy is necessary because the situation could get dangerous for you. dangerous.
Image Source: www.pathologyoutlines.com
Mutation in the lymph muscles and mutated genes are sometime inherited by which can be usually lethal. If men inherit the mutated BRCA1 or BRCA 2 gene, it can create an increased risk of breast cancer. The BRCA 1 gene invites a 1% risk and the BRCA 2 gene 6%. However, it should also be noted that the majority cases of male breast cancer occur with no genetic mutations and no inherited gene abnormalities.
Image Source: breastcancernow.org
Usually, men diagnosed with inflamed testicles, medically known as orchitis or who have undergone surgeries like orchiectomy (surgery to remove testicles) can invite an increased risk of breast cancer.
Image Source: www.youtube.com
Certain medical conditions, though directly related to liver like cirrhosis usually have far more deadly side effects. It can decrease male hormone production and increase estrogen the female hormone. This may cause the condition of man boobs and also increases the risk of breast cancer in men which makes men more susceptible to breast cancer.
Image Source: www.consumerhealthdigest.com
Obesity also increases the risk of male breast cancer. Again fat cells in the body easily can convert itself into estrogen, which increases the risk for potential male breast cancer. An increase of fat cells in men increases also estrogen production. Excessive alcohol also reduces the liver’s capacity to regulate estrogen simultaneously reducing androgen, the male hormone. This too may cause gynecomastia and increase the risk of breast cancer in men.
Image Source: wn.com