Pink appliances. Pink ribbons. When people think breast cancer, they think women.
But men also get the disease.
According to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, an estimated 160 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 45 will die of it. The following information is from Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre (www.mtsinai.on.ca/mkbc/mkbcresources/malebc.htm).
- Men have breast tissue and, like women, can develop breast cancer. However, breast cancer is far less common in men than in women.
- Male breast cancer usually affects people 60 years of age or older.
- The most common symptoms are a small, painless lump close to the nipple of the breast or a liquid discharge from the nipple.
- Because most men have less fat tissue than women in the breast area, male breast cancers are quite easily detected. However, most men don't "think breast cancer" and therefore don't look for lumps or may ignore a lump until the cancer has become quite advanced.
- Some of the risk factors for breast cancer in men include: Klinefelter's syndrome, a family history of breast cancer, gynecomastia or an enlargement of the breast in men, testicular dysfunction, obesity, estrogens used to treat some medical disorders and chronic liver disease.