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- $Unique_ID{BRK02017}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Breast Cancer in Men}
- $Subject{breast cancer breasts chest gynecomastia hormone estrogen malignancy
- ulceration mammography mammogram radiation chemotherapy mastectomy male men
- man}
- $Volume{}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- Breast Cancer in Men
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- QUESTION: While sitting on a beach, my husband and I noticed a man with large
- breast strolling along the sand. My husband made a wise crack that led to a
- discussion of the possibility of breast cancer in men. Since men are built
- different than women (usually), I didn't think that was possible, but my
- husband insists that it is. Can you tell us who is right?
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- ANSWER: Large breasts in a man is called "gynecomastia" and may result from
- several situations. They include hormone problems, medications that act like
- estrogens, disease of the liver often resulting from chronic alcoholism,
- diseases of the kidney, and breast cancer. So you see it is possible for a
- male to develop cancer of the breast. It arrives at a later age in men than
- in women, usually around the age of 60, is often first noticed as a painless
- mass in one breast. Sometimes there are other signs such as a bloody nipple
- discharge, or local signs of malignancy such as ulceration of the skin over
- the tumor. Although a family tendency to breast cancer is easy to document in
- women, this is harder to discover in males. Mammography is useful in
- diagnosing the cancer, just as it is in women, and the treatment includes
- surgical removal of the cancer treatment as well as radiation and
- chemotherapy.
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-