SYMPTOMS OF MALE BREAST CANCER

A painless lump, usually discovered by the patient himself, is by far the most common first symptom of male breast cancer. Typically the lump appears beneath the areola, where breast tissue is concentrated,

However, a lump is seldom the only symptom. Men are more likely than women to have nipple discharge(sometimes bloody) and sign of local spread, including nipple retraction, fixation to the skin or the underlying tissues, and skin ulceration. About half the men with breast cancer have palpable lymph nodes.

Most male breast cancers are not large. One study that reviewed a large number of cases found that 51 percent of the tumours were less than 3 centimetres in diameter. The largest, however, measured 28 by 16 centimetres.