Breast Cancer: Not Just a Woman's Disease

Can men have breast cancer too? DR TAN SING HUANG, Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist at OncoCare Cancer Centre, dives into the topic.

- DR TAN SING HUANG, Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist at OncoCare Cancer Centre, dives into the topic.

One of my patients, 59-year-old Mr Y, felt a painless chest wall lump for a year that grew till it was visible in the mirror. A biopsy revealed it was breast cancer; fortunately, it hadn't spread.

Male breast cancer is rare but it does occur, accounting for 0.5 to 1 percent of breast cancers globally and about 0.2 percent of all cancers in men. The lifetime risk is roughly 1 in 1,000, and the likelihood increases with age. On average, men are diagnosed 5 to 10 years later than women, mostly in their 60s.

Compared to female breast cancer, male breast cancers often present with larger tumours and are more likely to involve axillary (armpit) lymph nodes. Nevertheless, the majority of cases are diagnosed at an early (stage I to II) or locally advanced stage (stage III), rather than at the metastatic stage (stage IV). It is usually unilateral (affecting only one breast).

Common symptoms include:

• A painless (occasionally tender) lump, usually behind the nipple

• Nipple changes such as scaling, discharge, bleeding, or retraction

• Skin changes like redness, puckering, or ulceration

• Enlarged lymph nodes in the armpit

If a suspicious lump appears, a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy are essential.