Breast cancer in many men is diagnosed late, and delays can be fatal

Thursday, October 15, 2020 (HealthDay News)-Breast cancer in men is rare. However, new studies show that diagnosis is often made only after the tumor has begun to spread throughout the body, as it is less suspected in men.

“About half of men with breast cancer have already been diagnosed after they have spread,” said a team of researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Delayed diagnosis can be fatal. Overall, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer in early-diagnosed men was close to 99%, compared to about 26% in men whose tumors had already spread to “distant” sites at the time of diagnosis.

The CDC team found that one in ten male breast cancer cases (8.7%) was diagnosed late.

“Men tend to be diagnosed later because they and their doctors aren’t looking for breast cancer,” said Dr. Arisporis, who directs breast surgery at the Northwell Hellscancer Institute in Sleepy Hollow, NY. did.

A new study encourages primary care physicians to ask men about breast lumps and family history [of breast cancer]”The police, who were not involved in the investigation, added.

Still, breast cancer in men is still rare. According to the CDC, about 2,300 cases, or 1% of the total breast cancer burden in the United States, occur in men. “The risk increases with age, and men are diagnosed later in life, and often later in life,” said a team led by Taylor Ellington of the CDC’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ellington and colleagues used US health data to track the outcomes of approximately 15,000 men diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007 and 2016.

Researchers have found that these cancers are highly curable when detected early, and that almost all men diagnosed with localized tumors survive for at least five years.

However, widespread cancer has a much more disastrous prognosis, making minority men more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage. Overall, just over 12% of black men with breast cancer were diagnosed after the tumor had spread to distant sites, compared to just over 8% of white men and about 7% of Hispanic men.

Timely and aggressive treatment also seemed to be the key to long-term survival. “The 5-year overall survival of men with breast cancer was worse for those who did not receive treatment or who received primary radiation therapy. [only] More than anyone who has had any type of mastectomy, “Ellington’s group reported.

The signs of breast cancer in men are the same as those in women. According to the authors of the study, these symptoms include “painless or thickened breast tissue, skin depressions, wrinkles, thickening, redness or scales, nipple discharge, ulcers, and contractions.”

Family history is also important because the same genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) that can increase the risk of breast cancer in women function similarly in men.

“Because we know that men with breast cancer have a higher rate of genetic mutations than women, we have the opportunity to identify these individuals, which can lead to early stages of diagnosis,” police said.

According to Ellington’s team, “Regular discussions with patients about their family’s health history can help healthcare providers identify men at high risk.” Family history of concern. Once established, breast self-examination (starting at age 35) should be encouraged, and these men should also be “counseled and tested for genetic mutations,” the authors said.

Police added that there was one subgroup that could face special risks.

“Transgender women [people who have transitioned from male to female gender] Trans-gender men are at lower risk of breast cancer than cisgender women, whereas cisgender men are at lower risk of breast cancer, “she said. This seems to be consistent with what we know about hormonal changes in individuals in this group. “

This study was published in the October 16th issue of the CDC. Weekly morbidity and mortality reports..

For more information

For breast cancer in men American Cancer Society..