Mr. Yu of Guangdong never thought that "breast cancer" would find himself in his forties.
Three years ago, he noticed that under the right nipple, a small pimple the size of an adult's thumb had grown.
This little pimple is not painful or itchy, and it is not taken too seriously.
Gradually, the skin on the surface of this small pimple appears broken and ulcerated, and it is extremely itchy.
He still didn't take it seriously, just went to the pharmacy to buy some anti-inflammatory drugs.
(Source: "Guangdong Tv Electrocution News" video screenshot)
Unexpectedly, in the following 10 months, the small wound gradually enlarged, and even spread to the pectoralis major muscles, ribs, and chest wall.
Mr. Yu felt that something was not right and quickly went to the hospital...
The diagnosis startled him and he was diagnosed with breast cancer!
I believe that many people will be as shocked as Mr. Yu:
Men, too, get breast cancer?
yes! "Gender male" has never been the "gold medal" for breast cancer.
As many people think, breast cancer is indeed the most common malignancy in women worldwide [1].
Relatively speaking, male breast cancer (MBC) is clinically rare.
Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of male cancers [2,3]. On the mainland, the incidence is about 0.4 per 100,000 [4].
However, less does not mean it will not happen.
In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer in men has been on the rise [2,3].
To make matters worse, studies have shown that once a man develops breast cancer, the condition may be more severe and the mortality rate will be higher [5].
A large part of the reason is that male breast cancer is not characterized in obvious and often does not receive timely treatment [5].
Just like Mr. Yu in the front, many men usually do not pay enough attention to the abnormality of the chest, and even have no concept of breast cancer, and always feel that it is a small matter.
In this way, the more the disease is delayed, the more serious it is, and when it is found, it becomes an advanced stage, which greatly increases the difficulty of treatment!
What kind of men should beware of breast cancer?
Studies have shown that men with 4 characteristics do pay more attention to this [2,6].
1. Old age
According to statistics, the incidence of breast cancer in men increases with age, and most breast cancers are found after the age of 50.
The mean age of diagnosis for breast cancer in men (63.3 years) is greater than in women (59.9 years) [5].
2. Family genetic history
If a close relative (first- or second-degree relative) has breast cancer, men are at higher risk of breast cancer [7].
3. Hormone levels are imbalanced
Men with obesity and diabetes, some liver diseases, testicular abnormalities (testicular injury, swelling, or removal), or who are receiving estrogen therapy [2] have elevated estrogen levels and are more susceptible to breast cancer.
4. Carrying certain mutated genes
Genetic changes (mutations) in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase the risk of breast cancer. Mutations in the BRCA2 gene are more common.
In addition, men are at increased risk of breast cancer if they work in high magnetic fields, high temperatures, or are exposed to gasoline and exhaust gases [2].
Special reminder
If you have a family history of breast cancer and/or a man with a BRCA mutation found through genetic testing, it is best to go to the hospital and manage the risk of disease under the guidance of a doctor.
For diseases, prevention is always the most cost-effective strategy.
Many men do not do a good job of prevention because of their lack of understanding of breast cancer, and finally regret being found by it.
Breast cancer should be diagnosed and treated early, and be careful if the following 5 signals appear [6]:
Swelling or lumps in the breasts;
Redness or flaky appearance of the skin of the breasts;
Breast skin is sunken or wrinkled;
nipple discharge;
Pain in the nipple inverted or nipple area.
"Gender male" is not the "disease-free gold medal" for breast cancer.
Mr. Yu, mentioned at the beginning of the article, was relatively lucky, and after treatment, his condition stabilized.
But I and my family have also suffered a lot.
People at high risk must be vigilant and go to the hospital immediately if they have aura symptoms.
Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just in case.
It is said that money and time cannot be exchanged for life, but if you do a good job of prevention and early diagnosis and treatment, in fact, you can!
If you find this article useful, you can share it. Many people see it, and there is one less tragedy.
Special Author: Guan Xinyu
Eight-year doctoral candidate in Breast Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital
Review expert: Gu Lin
Director of the Department of Breast Oncology II, Tianjin Cancer Hospital
bibliography
[1] Siegel R L, Miller K D, Fuchs H E, et al. Cancer statistics, 2021[J]. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 2021, 71(1): 7-33.
[2] Fentiman I S, Fourquet A, Hortobagyi G N. Male breast cancer[J]. The Lancet, 2006, 367(9510): 595-604.
[3] Chen Z, Xu L, Shi W, et al. Trends of female and male breast cancer incidence at the global, regional, and national levels, 1990–2017[J]. Breast cancer research and treatment, 2020, 180(2): 481-490.
[4] Chen W, Zheng R, Baade P D, et al. Cancer statistics in China, 2015[J]. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 2016, 66(2): 115-132.
[5] Wang F, Shu X, Meszoely I, et al. Overall mortality after diagnosis of breast cancer in men vs women[J]. JAMA oncology, 2019, 5(11): 1589-1596.
[6] U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Male Breast Cancer. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/men/index.htm
[7] U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Breast and Ovarian Cancer and Family History Risk Categories https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/breast_ovarian_cancer/risk_categories.htm
Editors: Zhao Yanan, Zhang Jie, Zhang Liang
Typesetting: Han Ningning | Proofreader: Wu Yihe
Operations: Li Yongmin | Coordinator: Wu Wei