Men Account for One Percent of Breast Cancer Cases in Brazil, Greater Awareness Required

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Doctor Fabiana Tonelotto, head of the Mastology Service at Hospital do Câncer 3 (HC3), a unit of the National Cancer Institute José Alencar Gomes da Silva (INCA), alerts that men should be aware of any changes or abnormalities in their breasts.

Skin retraction, the appearance of nodules or lumps, secretion through the areola (nipple), ganglions in the armpits are the most common symptoms of breast cancer in men, as well as redness in the chest area and itching.

Fabiana Tonelotto says that the treatment for men is the same as for women, with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. She explains that since the breast is small and atrophied in men, there is no tissue to perform reconstructive surgery.

And since the man has little breast tissue, it is easier for cancer to penetrate the skin and the posterior muscle of the breast, causing metastasis.

“Therefore, this treatment is more radical, with mastectomy [removal of the breast],” she explains. The tumor becomes large in relation to the size of the breast. “It assumes such proportions that the breast tissue cannot be spared,” said the specialist.

Genetics

The INCA doctor also cautioned that whenever a breast cancer case occurs in men, all women in the family must be evaluated, because there may be a genetic mutation of BRCA (gene family), which increases the risk of having the disease.

In some cases, Fabiana said a genetic test may be ordered. “It’s a very important evaluation to perform”.

According to Fabiana, it is unnecessary for the patient to undergo breast reconstruction, because men do not have big breasts. A tattoo of the nipple or areola is a good option.

Breast cancer cases in men are not frequent in INCA care, because they represent only one percent of all cases. Since it is not among the most common types of cancer, male breast cancer is not included in INCA’s estimates.

Statistics

According to data provided by the Department of Information Technology of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) of the Ministry of Health, there were 16,724 deaths from female breast cancer in the country and 203 deaths from male breast cancer in Brazil in 2017.

In 2016, there were 16,069 deaths from female breast cancer in the country and 185 deaths from male breast cancer, and in 2015, there were 15,403 deaths from female breast cancer in Brazil and 187 deaths from male breast cancer.

Other factors

According to INCA data, provided by the Ministry of Health press office, other risk factors for breast cancer in men are conditions that can increase the level of estrogen in the body, such as obesity, alcoholism, liver disease, Klinefelter syndrome (when a male person has an extra X chromosome), and previous radiotherapy for the chest area.

Source: Agência Brasil

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