Can men get breast cancer?

Yes, men can get breast cancer, but it is rare. Breast cancer mostly affects women aged 45 and older. However, anyone with breasts can get breast cancer. It is rare in children and in men.

The reason comes down to anatomy. Everyone is born with a small amount of breast tissue behind the nipple. It contains milk ducts plus the fatty and fibrous tissue around them. Puberty makes that tissue grow in women. In men it stays small, but the cells are the same kind of cells. Breast cancer happens when cells in the breast grow without control and form a tumor that may spread to other parts of the body. Those cells do not check anyone's sex first.

Rare has a number attached to it. Fewer than 1 out of every 100 breast cancers found in the United States occurs in a man. It usually appears at a later age than in women.

The most common sign is a lump or thickening in or near the breast. Other signs include a nipple that pulls inward, bleeding or discharge from the nipple, redness or flaky skin, dimpling, or a sore on the breast that will not heal. Doctors have a name for skin that turns thick and pitted like an orange peel: peau d'orange. Any of these deserve a visit.

Not every lump is cancer. Many men develop gynecomastia, which is harmless growth of breast tissue. It often comes from a hormone shift, liver disease, kidney failure, low testosterone, obesity, alcohol, or certain medicines, including some used for prostate cancer or heart conditions. Gynecomastia usually starts as a tender lump under the nipple and often affects both sides. The features that point toward cancer instead are growth on one side only, a hard lump that feels stuck to the tissue around it, a skin sore over the breast, or bloody nipple discharge. An exam and imaging are what settle the question.

Inherited genes carry more weight here than most people expect. NCI says about 1.8% to 7.1% of men with a harmful BRCA2 change get breast cancer by age 70, compared with about 0.1% of men in general. Klinefelter syndrome, a condition in which a man is born with an extra X chromosome, also raises risk. So does past radiation to the chest and having female relatives with breast cancer.

Male breast cancer is almost always hormone receptor positive. HER2 status is also tested. Treatment is generally similar to treatment for women.

Screening mammograms are not usually recommended for men. If you have a new lump, or if breast or ovarian cancer runs in your family, raise it with your doctor and ask whether genetic testing fits your situation.