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Male breast cancer cases on the rise, experts warn
The Uganda Cancer Institute building at Mulago in Kampala. At least 40 cases of male breast cancer are reported at the facility every year. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Experts say breast cancer in men tends to be more aggressive than that in women.
The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has said they record at least 40 new cases of breast cancer in men annually at the Kampala-based care centre, with many presenting with advanced disease.
Dr Noleb Mugisha, the head of cancer prevention at UCI, told this publication on Wednesday that breast cancer in men tends to be more aggressive than that in women.
“The strongest risk factor for breast cancer is a family history of breast cancer. If a man has a family history of breast cancer, then they are also at risk. Obesity also applies to men, but genetics is the biggest risk factor,” he said.
According to information from the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk also increases with most breast cancers found after age 50.
Exposure to radiation therapy treatment, and hormone therapy treatment, especially those used to treat prostate cancer in the past, increase men’s breast cancer risk, according to CDC.
Dr Mugisha said around one percent of all people with breast cancer in the world are men.
“Every year, we have 40 men presenting for the first time with cancer of the men,” he said. The Institute doesn’t get all the cancer cases in the country.
According to information from the Global Cancer Observatory, breast cancer is the third most common cancer in Uganda, contributing 2,999 (8.3 percent) of the 35,000 total cancer cases in 2022. Breast cancer comes after Kaposi sarcoma with 4,047 (11.3 percent) of total cases and cancer of the cervix at 6,938 (19.3 percent) of total cases. Those who died from the disease in the same year were 1,560, which was 52 percent of the cases.
Research reports on breast cancer in men in Uganda are scarce. But a report of a study done in Northern Uganda and published in the scientific journal Breast Disease in 2021 by Pecorella Irene and colleagues, shows that “male breast cancer (MBC) accounts for 6.2 percent of breast cancers.”
“In time span of 8 years, there were 337 consecutive breast cancer presentations, including 21 MBC (6.2 percent). The latter patients showed advanced disease (mean symptom duration: 20.3 months; mean tumour size: 5 cm) skin ulceration and ipsilateral lymph node metastasis: 60%). The mean age was 60.52 years (from 30 to 85 years),” the report reads.
Another 2019 research report on Breast cancer care in Ugandan hospitals by Tove Ekdahl Hjelm from the Department of Oncology, Stockholm South General Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, found that of the “majority of patients were female (150, 93.8 percent), 10 patients (6.2 percent) were male and in 22 cases gender information was missing”.
According to the report, the patients were young; 14 patients (8.6 percent) were aged between 20 and 29 years, and 35 patients (21.5 percent) between 30 and 39 years. The mean age was 48 years. For 19 patients age was not specified.
Dr Mugisha said many men come when the disease is advanced.
“Maybe because men think they don’t suffer from breast cancer, even when they have a swelling in the breast, they think it will go away on its own,” he said.
“Breast cancer in men is usually a swelling in the small breast, some may have lymph nodes swelling in the armpits, and others can bring the pus discharge when the nipple is squeezed. But these last two I talked about are not a must-have,” he added.
Information from the CDC indicates that other signs and symptoms include redness or flaky skin in the breast, irritation or dimpling of the breast skin, and pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
The CDC also indicates that just like in women, treatment for breast cancer in men depends on how big the tumour is and how far it has spread.
“Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy,” the CDC indicates.
According to health experts, since the exact causes of breast cancer in men are not known, there is no known way to prevent them. But there are some things a man can do to lower his risk of breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, men should ensure get to and stay at a healthy weight, avoid or limit alcohol and be physically active to reduce the risk of developing the disease.
Fact file
Signs and symptoms
• A lump or swelling in the breast.
• Redness or flaky skin in the breast.
• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
• Nipple discharge.
• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
Risk factors
• Family history of breast cancer
• Getting older
• Genetic mutations.
• Radiation therapy treatment
• Hormone therapy treatment
• Liver disease.
• Overweight and obesity.
Prevention
• Eat a healthy diet
• Do physical exercise
• Reduce alcohol consumption
. Do regular medical checkups
