MALE BREAST CANCER

The main symptom of breast cancer in men is a hard lump in one of your breasts. Most of the time, the lump is painless and is located underneath the nipple and areola (the circle of dark-coloured skin surrounding the nipple).

Additional symptoms usually only develop if the cancer spreads from the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones, liver or lungs. This is known as metastatic breast cancer.

Symptoms of metastatic breast cancer include:

• bone pain
• swelling of the lymph nodes, usually in or around the armpit
• shortness of breath
• feeling unusually tired all the time
• nausea
• jaundice

DIAGNOSIS

• History and Physical Examination
  • signs of male breast cancer, such as swollen lymph nodes
• Diagnostic Tests
  • Mammogram– breast X-ray wherein the breast is placed in between two plates and then compressed.
  • Ultrasound
  • Biopsy- a sample will be taken from the lump and examined microscopically

RECOMMENDED MEDICATIONS

Treatment for breast cancer in men largely depends on how far the cancer has spread.

Most hospitals use multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to treat men with breast cancer. These are teams of specialists who work together to make decisions about the best way to proceed with your treatment.

Your treatment plan

• Your recommended treatment plan depends on how far the cancer has spread.
  • If the cancer hasn’t spread significantly beyond your breast, a complete cure may be possible. In these cases, surgery to remove the affected breast is usually recommended. This is often followed by radiotherapy, hormone therapy, or chemotherapy to help prevent the cancer returning.
  • If the cancer has spread beyond your breast into other parts of your body, such as your lungs, a complete cure won’t be possible. However, hormone therapy and chemotherapy can be used to relieve symptoms and slow down the spread of the cancer.

Surgery

• mastectomy is usually recommended as the first treatment for breast cancer. IT involves removing the entire breast, sometimes with the nipple and lymph nodes in the armpit. A procedure known as a sentinel lymph node biopsy may also be performed.

Radiotherapy

• Radiotherapy is a type of treatment involving a machine that releases high-energy waves to destroy cancerous cells. It can be given a few weeks after surgery to prevent the cancerous cells returning.A typical course of radiotherapy involves two to five sessions a week over the course of three to six weeks. The sessions are short and usually only last for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Radiotherapy isn’t usually painful, although you’ll probably experience some side effects. This is because the energy released during radiotherapy can also damage healthy cells.

Hormone therapy

• The aim of hormone therapy is to block the effects of Estrogen on the breast tissue to prevent the cancer recurring after surgery. It can also be used in cases of advanced breast cancer to slow down the spread of the cancer.
• Medications used for hormone therapy are:
  • Tamoxifen
  • Aromatase inhibitors

 Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy is used to treat cases of breast cancer where hormone therapy would be largely ineffective because the cancerous cells are not Eestrogen receptor positive (ER+). It’s usually given after surgery to help prevent the cancer returning, or it’s used to treat the symptoms of incurable cancer.
• Chemotherapy for breast cancer involves taking a combination of cancer-killing medications. Treatment is usually given every two to three weeks over the course of six months.
• You may be given chemotherapy tablets (oral chemotherapy), chemotherapy injections (intravenous chemotherapy), or a combination of both.

Biological therapy

• Biological therapy uses medication to block the effects of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in cases where HER2 is contributing to breast cancer.
• If you have high levels of the HER2 protein and are able to have biological therapy, you’ll probably be prescribed a medicine called trastuzumab. Also known by the brand name Herceptin, it is usually used after radiotherapy or chemotherapy to prevent cancerous cells returning.

• Trastuzumab- Trastuzumab is given through a drip, directly into a vein (intravenously). You’ll receive the treatment in hospital. Each treatment session takes up to one hour, and the number of sessions you need depends on whether your breast cancer is in its early or more advanced stages