Breast cancer in men is rare. About 390 men in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Men have a small amount of breast tissue behind their nipples, where breast cancer can develop. The first symptom of breast cancer that men may notice is a painless lump under the nipple or areola.

Causes

Doctors do not know the exact causes of breast cancer. But there are risk factors that can increase your chance of developing it. Because breast cancer in men is rare, most men who have the risk factors will never develop it.

Treatment

A team of specialists will meet to discuss the best possible treatment for you. This is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Your doctor will explain the different treatments and their side effects. They will also talk to you about the things you should consider when making treatment decisions.

For most men, the main treatment for early breast cancer is surgery to remove the cancer. You may have:

• A mastectomy
• Breast-conserving surgery (wide local excision)

Your surgeon may remove some or all the lymph nodes in your armpit. Or you may be offered radiotherapy to the lymph nodes instead.

If you have locally advanced breast cancer or inflammatory breast cancer you will usually be offered chemotherapy or sometimes targeted therapy before surgery. This is known as neo-adjuvant treatment.

Adjuvant treatments

Adjuvant treatment is treatment you have after surgery. Your cancer doctor will usually offer you one or more of the following treatments:

• Radiotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Hormonal therapy