Male Breast Cancer and Symptoms

Male breast cancer is a form of cancer that sometimes goes unnoticed and uncared for long periods of time because not many men are aware that they can have male breast cancer. While it is much more common for women to get breast cancer, men do have breast tissue and therefore can get male breast cancer. Signs of male breast cancer include skin dimpling or puckering around the breast area, redness and scaling of the breast area or nipple, bloody discharge or clear discharge from the nipple, and a retraction or indentation of the nipple.

Many people wonder what causes male breast cancer, but that is actually a hard question to answer. Male breast cancer, just like any other form of cancer, is caused when a group of abnormal cells grow at a rapid pace, damaging and destroying the normal tissue of the area. It is not exactly known what triggers the growth of these abnormal cells that cause male breast cancer, however it is known that about 5 to 10 percent of male breast cancer is inherited. Also, men who carry the breast cancer gene, BRCA 1 or BRCA 2, have a higher risk of getting male breast cancer. Because of the genetic correlations and male breast, it is important to know your genetic health history.

There are some external factors that do put men at a higher rate of getting male breast cancer. For example, if you are exposed to radiation at a young age or as a young adult, you are more likely to get male breast cancer. Also, if you have had Klinefelter syndrome, a syndrome that reduces more estrogen in men, their might be a higher risk of getting male breast cancer. Like women, it is important to check the breast area for abnormalities, especially if there is a family history of male breast cancer.