Can Men Get Breast Cancer Secrets, Taboos, Symptoms and Why You Must Speak Up Today

In the United States, almost 1 in 8 women is diagnosed each day with breast cancer. About 12 percent of women are known to develop the disease during their lifetime. In 2016, a paralyzing 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in the country. Breast cancer is the second highest cause of cancer-related deaths throughout the world, irrespective of socio-economic strata.

This may come as both a shock and surprise, but about 1 in 1000 men will get diagnosed with breast cancer in the current year. The self-diagnosis is quite similar as that of women —it is mostly a lump of the size of a pea that is easily felt with fingers on the breast (chest). The course of the disease is quite similar as that of breast cancer in women. The three principal tissue types undergo hyperplasia, and these rapidly dividing cells can invade neighboring tissues.

Breast cancer diagnosis

Detecting breast cancer in men is more difficult than women as it is more of a taboo. Very few people think it is plausible for men to get a disease that has been associated with only women over the last few centuries. However, it is just as lethal in men as it is in women. Both men and women, suffering from breast cancer, secrete abnormal amounts of the cancer antigen 15-3 or CA15-3 that can be easily detected by Elisa. For getting your hands on the right kind of ELISA kit, you can reach out to enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay kit suppliers who have a good idea about the antibodies involves in the process and the specification of the cancer detection kits involved.

The most common terms that are heard in cases of both male and female breast cancers include:

1. Adenocarcinoma – this is the cancer of glandular tissues. This is, of course, more common in women than men since women have a larger number of lobules and ducts in their breasts. So, any type of cancer that has its origins in these regions is called adenocarcinoma.
2. Carcinoma in-situ – when the cancer is in its early stage and it restricted to only the site it originated, it is called carcinoma-in-situ. This is usually seen when duct cells remain confined inside the breast, and hence it is also called non-invasive breast carcinoma.

• Sarcoma – this is a type of cancer that starts in the connective tissue. Sarcomas of the breast tissue are extremely rare in both men and women, and very difficult to contain and treat as well.

1. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma in men – this makes up for only 2 percent of the male breast cancers detected all around the world. Men have less lobular tissue, to begin with, hence the chances of lobular tissue hyperplasia and/or anaplasia are extremely rare.
2. Paget disease of the nipple – this accounts for less than 1 percent of all female breast cancers but quite a higher number of male breast cancers. It usually starts in the ducts and is spread to the nipple over time. Aside from the usual lump in the breast associated with breast cancer, there may be scaly crusts and bleeding of the nipples.

Knowledge and awareness go a long way when it comes to fighting a disease. If there’s a history of breast cancer running in your family, you should take additional measures to ensure protection against the disease.