A new study compares male breast cancer with female breast cancer. Data from the National Cancer Institute΄s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program was analyzed. Men with breast cancer made up less than 1% of total breast cancer cases. Male breast cancer occurred later in life with higher stage, lower grade, and more estrogen receptor-positive tumors than female breast cancer. Breast cancer incidence and mortality rates have declined in recent years for both men and women, however less so for men. For breast cancer diagnosed during 1996 to 2005, breast cancer death declined by 28% for men and by 42% for women, compared with the period 1976 to 1985. The authors conclude that the biology of male breast cancer resembles that of postmenopausal female breast cancer and that there appear to be common risk factors that affect both sexes, especially in the case of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. While breast cancer mortality and survival rates have improved significantly in recent decades for both men and women, progress for men has lagged behind that for women.

Studies confirm previous findings concerning male breast cancer

Other studies have also found a similarity between male breast cancer and estrogen-positive postmenopausal breast cancer. Studies have also reported that survival rates for male and female breast cancer are similar, after adjusting for type, stage and grade at diagnosis. Because it is unexpected and typically not screened for, male breast cancer tends to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage when treatments are less effective. One study found that the average duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 16 months. Men should be encouraged to pay attention to the condition of their chest walls and have any lumps, skin changes (ulceration, dimpling or redness), retraction of the nipple, or nipple discharge medically evaluated.