Women Aren’t The Only Ones At Risk For Breast Cancer

When most people think of breast cancer, they think of it as a women’s disease, an idea that’s further reinforced by the ubiquitous use of pink in breast cancer awareness campaigns and the fact that these campaigns focus entirely on women. However, it’s not only women who get breast cancer.

man next to blinds

While over 99% of breast cancer diagnoses occur in women, every year an estimated 2,240 men are diagnosed with the disease and around 400 men will die from it. This may come as a surprise because we don’t think of men as having breast tissue, but they do; what makes women have breasts when men don’t is the balance of hormones in their bodies. Women’s higher levels of estrogen lead to their developing breasts, and their higher estrogen levels could account for their being more likely to develop breast cancer.

In fact, men who are diagnosed with the disease often have higher than average estrogen levels. This can be caused by lifestyle factors such as obesity, drinking more than one alcoholic drink per day, or high levels of exposure to radiation. Even the estrogen-related drugs given to men diagnosed with prostate cancer can contribute to the development of breast cancer.

There is also a genetic component. About 1 in 5 cases of breast cancer in men can be traced to a history of the disease in the women of his family, and men also carry the BRCA gene mutation recently made famous by Angelina Jolie that increases your risk of developing the disease.

restroom sign

The treatment for breast cancer is the same for both men and women, and includes chemotherapy, radiation treatment, hormone therapy, and possibly removal of the affected tissue.

A family history of any type of cancer is something your doctor should be aware of. If you are seeing a urologist, it is that much more important talk about the risks associated with other hormone based medications.

To learn more about men’s health or urology, contact the office of Dr. Michael S. Kaplan at (702) 454-6226.

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