Breast cancer afflicts men, too

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

Breast cancer is often thought of as “a woman’s disease” but this is not true, said Janette Wheat, cooperative-extension program specialist and professor of human development and family studies at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S. is found in a man, she said in a news release.

In 2017, there were about 2,300 new cases of male breast cancer and 500 deaths, according to the 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

The most common kinds of breast cancer in men are the same kinds as in women — invasive ductal carcinoma, invasive lobular carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ, the CDC reported.

Although having risk factors does not mean a man will get breast cancer, some things may increase the risk, such as genetic mutations, a family history and certain radiation and hormone therapy treatments. [Read more…]