Breast cancer in men

Why is it more aggressive than in women?

Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Experts at the Uganda Cancer Institute have come out to warn that although breast cancer is common in women, men can also get it and it is more aggressive.

Dr. Noleb Mugisha, an oncologist who heads screening services at Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI), said when breast cancer occurs in men, it is more aggressive than when it affects women.

“This is because the male breast is small tissue, hence is quickly ravaged by the cancer,” he said.

Mugisha says many men wrongly think that the recommended self-breast exam is meant for women only, and yet a man has to be aware of how their breasts appear under normal circumstances to be able to tell when swellings appear.

He says men can get other swellings in their breasts that are not cancerous but it is only through examination that this will be ruled out.

“Men are not routinely screened for the disease and  don’t think about the possibility of getting it, as a result breast cancer tends to be more advanced in men than in women,” Mugisha says.

At a press conference organised by the Uganda National Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (UNCDA) as part of the events to mark the October Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mugisha said that most men with breast cancer report late, making it hard to treat and cure them.

“Some men ignore breast lumps or think they are caused by an infection or some other reason and don’t get medical treatment until the mass has had a change to grow.

“Many people do not realize that men have breast tissue and that they can develop breast cancer,”  he said, adding that “women tend to be aware of the disease and its possible warning signs, but many men do not think that they can get it at all”.

Mugisha added that men have a small amount of breast tissue, where tumours can develop.

The most common symptom of male breast cancer is a painless lump in the chest area.

Some also develop discharge, possibly blood-stained, that comes out of the nipple without it being squeezed.

A tender or inverted nipple is another symptom, along with sores in the chest area and swelling, which may also arise in the lymph nodes under the arm.

Although the causes of male breast cancer are unclear, it is more common in men over 60.

All men have a small amount of the female hormone estrogen, however, higher than normal levels have been linked to the disease.

Careful breast exams might be useful for screening men who have a strong family history of breast cancer or have the breast-cancer mutations found by genetic testing.

Mugisha says that while all men should be monitoring their bodies for unusual changes, some specific men are at an increased risk of breast cancer.

“In general, men over 60 years old and those with a family history of cancer are at an increased risk for cancer,” he said.

Overweight and obese men are also at an increased risk. Additionally, researchers have discovered that men with a specific gene mutation are more likely to develop breast cancer than those without it.

This makes it especially important for men to monitor their bodies for changes and speak to a doctor if they have any concerns.

Dr. Fred Okuku also an oncologist at UCI says that most male breast cancer patients tend to seek treatment in advanced stages.

He attributes this to the fact that men rarely get screened for breast cancer, and women are more likely to feel the tumour while breastfeeding, bathing, or through self-breast examination.

While globally, only 1% of the breast cancer cases are among men, Mugisha says at the cancer institute, men accounted for seven percent of the over 500 cases of breast cancer that they recorded last year.

Christopher Kwizera the head of UNCDA says that in order to beat breast cancer in men, acknowledging that men can be diagnosed with breast cancer is the first step in protecting oneself from the disease.

“This knowledge allows men to pay attention to changes in the breast or nipple area and to speak to a doctor when identifying such changes,” he said.

Throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the public is made aware of the recommended screening processes for women concerning breast cancer.

However, since breast cancer is quite rare amongst men, there are no recommended screenings for the average man.

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