Study: Breast Cancer Rate in Men Is Increasing

The breast cancer rate in men is increasing though the disease remains rare, according to a new study that is the largest to date.

Male breast cancer is a rare malignancy, representing only 0.6 percent of all breast cancers and less than 1 percent of cancers in men. Because it is so rare and poorly studied, there is limited data regarding its frequency, treatment, and prognosis.

But an analysis of data collected from 1973 to 1998 found that the incidence of breast cancer in men increased significantly, from 0.86 to 1.08 cases per 100,000 men, according to researchers from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The study found men tend to be diagnosed at an older age (67 years) than women (62 years). Clinically, men are more likely to present with disease in axillary lymph nodes, at a more advanced stage of disease, and with estrogen and progesterone receptor positive tumors, the researchers reported in the journal Cancer.

The two most common types of breast cancer in men were invasive ductal or unclassified carcinomas (93.4 percent) and papillary carcinomas (2.6 percent).

"This data suggests that the incidence of male breast cancer is climbing, men are diagnosed with later stage disease than women, and that hormone receptor status and tumor grade are not independent prognostic factors for men," the researchers concluded.

Source: Cancer