Male breast cancer takes a low incidence and is rare to see. However, it is observed that the males whose breasts grow in recent years are increasing. And male breast cancer patients take up to 0.22% of all male cancer patients according to the statistics published by Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou. The ratio looks low though, but has increased 25% in past 25 years.

Excessive estrogen leads to breast cancer in males

Studies found that a man’s breasts can be activated and develop the features like woman if he excessively takes estrogen. Therefore, excessive internal estrogen is the main cause of male breast cancer.

There are also researches indicating that when a person gets a weight which is 20% heavier than normal figure, his internal fat cells would change androgen to estrogen. In another word, a fat man, who gets higher internal estrogen level would indirectly increase the incidence of breast cancer.

It is more dangerous for a man to develop breast cancer

In theory, the direct cause of breast cancer is malignant tumor tissues in breasts. Male and female, they are the same with mammary tissues that both can develop breast cancer. The differences of physiological structure causing different hormone levels, that the incidence of breast cancer in female is higher than male.

It is reported that, because a man doesn’t develop lobule and acinus in breasts that his breasts are smaller than a woman. Besides, the mammary tissues of a man if thinner, it is easier for the tumor to spread once he develops breast cancer, even in a short time can the cancer extend to the skin and musculature around.

A man should have regular examination on his breasts

Emphasized by breast cancer specialists of Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou that, since the chest of a male is different from female, a male breast cancer patient mostly presents harder and painless tumor in one side of breast. And breast X-ray is a feasible and common examination to detect breast cancer in males, especially to the ones who have familial medial history or the carriers of mutator BRCA2 detected in gene test.

A man should check his breasts every 3 months and when the symptoms like lump and swelling in breasts, sunken and ridged skin of breast, crate nipple, red skin of nipple or breasts, different sizes of two nipples and nipple discharging occur, he should take examination for diagnosis in time.

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.