Male Breast Cancer

Some people might think what is breast cancer in men? Or how is it diagnosed? Reading this article will help give you all the information you need. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor, group of cells that grow into surrounding tissues or spread to other parts of the body, which starts cells of the breast. Women usually get breast cancer but men also have breast tissue that are nonfunctional (doesn't produce milk) so they might as well get it.

Male breast cancer is rare and it get be linked to environmental and genetic factors, some of the risk factors that have been discovered for developing breast cancer are Radiation exposure, Hyperestrogenism, Klinefelter’s syndrome and Cirrhosis of the liver. Radiation exposure is a great risk factor for men to get breast cancer. If men have undergone radiation therapy to treat malignancies in the chest area have a great risk to get breast cancer. Also, exposure to ionizing radiation has been associated risk factor, Ionizing radiation can cause changes in chemical balance of cells, and then result in cancer.

Hyperestrogenism is when the male produces high amount of estrogen. Men produces small amounts of estrogen (female hormone), the majority of breast cancers in men are estrogen receptor – positive. There are two conditions in which affect the breast to be enlarged in men: Klinefelter’s syndrome and Cirrhosis of the liver.

Klinefelter’s syndrome is an inherited condition, a normal male have 2 chromosomes, X and Y, where he gets the X from his mother and the Y from his father. Men that are affected with Klinefelter’s syndrome have an extra chromosome from the mother resulting in XXY, patients with this syndrome usually produce high amount of estrogen and develop enlarged breasts, small testes and the inability to produce sperms.

Cirrhosis of the liver can be cause by alcohol abuse, or rare genetic conditions. The liver produces binding proteins that are important that affect the delivery and transportation of both male and female hormone in the bloodstream. Patient’s liver with Cirrhosis is compromised and the levels the men and women’s hormones are altered in the bloodstream. Men with this disease produce large amounts of estrogen.