RISK FACTORS IN MALE BREAST CANCER
AGE
The incidence of breast cancer in men, like breast cancer in women, increases
with age. Although it has been reported in a 5 year old boy, it is rare before
age 35. The average of men at diagnosis is close to 65, about 5 years older
than the average age for women.
ETHNICITY
Breast cancer affects 14 black men in every million and 8 white men in every
million according to the National Cancer Institute(NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology,
and End Results (SEER) Programme. Some studies have also suggested that the
incidence is higher among Jewish males of European ancestry.
SOCIOECONOMIC
STATUS
A recent study comparing male breast cancer patients from five metropolitan
areas with men of comparable backgrounds who did not have breast cancer, found
that the breast cancer patients were more likely to be college graduates and
employed as professionals or managers.
HEREDITY
There have been reported two or more cases of male breast cancer within a single
family. Several of these have involved two brothers; one involved three brothers;
and another described breast cancer in a man, his father and his father’s
brother.
HORMONES
Abnormal hormone activity, a factor that has been linked to the development
of female breast cancer, could play a role in the development of male breast
cancer as well. Several disorders with a hormonal component have been associated
with an increased risk of male breast cancer, and numerous studies have suggested
that men with breast cancer display abnormal patterns of hormone metabolism
and excretion. In laboratory experiments, it is possible to produce breast cancer
in male mice and rats by means of manipulating hormones. At the same time, it
has long been known that men with breast cancer tend to respond well to hormone
therapy.
GYNECOMASTIA
The relationship between gynecomastia and breast cancer is unclear. Some authors
report that as many as 20 percent of the male breast cancer patients in their
studies have a history of gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is also a symptom of Klinefelter’s
syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that markedly increases a man’s risk
of developing breast cancer. Furthermore, gynecomastia is more common in areas
such as Egypt, where male breast cancer accounts for a relatively large proportion
of the total number of breast cancer cases.
GEOGRAPHY
In Egypt, male breast cancer represents 6 percent of all breast cancers, and
in Zambia it accounts for 15 percent. It has been suggested that one contributing
factor might be an excess of estrogen resulting from scistosomiasis, a liver
disease produced by parasites. Others have proposed a link with kiver disease
caused by malnutrition.
Home | Types | Symptoms | Delayed diagnosis | Male breast