Symptoms of breast cancer in men | Symptoms of breast cancer

Symptoms of breast cancer in men

Breast cancer can affect men as well as women. Although they are proportionally much less affected than women, they also have a small amount of breast gland tissue from which the cancer can develop. Risk factors are known to be a genetic predisposition, i.e. close relatives suffering from breast cancer, exposure to high doses of radioactive radiation, as well as increased oestrogen production in the body.

The latter is mainly observed in men with severe liver disease. The symptoms are similar to those of female breast cancer. Those affected often notice as the first sign a firm, hardly movable lump in the breast or a hardening in one of the two breasts.

In addition, fluid may be secreted from the nipple on the affected side. These secretions are often bloody, which is a warning sign of possible cancer of the breast. Some of the affected men also observe retractions of the skin in the area of the nodule and/or inflammations or wounds on the affected side of the breast, which heal with difficulty or not at all. Advanced breast cancer in men can also migrate to the regional lymph nodes. This manifests itself in the form of lymph node swellings / enlargements, which can be felt as such, especially in the depth of the armpit of the affected side.

Chest Quadrants

Doctors divide the breast into four sections to better describe the location of the breast cancer. The division of the breast is done by drawing an imaginary horizontal and vertical line through the nipple, with the nipple forming the centre. With this division, a statement can now be made about where the breast cancer occurs.

55% of breast cancer is located in the upper outer quadrants. That cancer occurs in the other three quadrants is less frequent, but possible. Behind the nipple about 15% of all breast cancers develop.

Symptoms of end-stage breast cancer

If the breast cancer is advanced, there is a great risk that the tumour will spread in the body and form metastases in different parts of the body. Doctors then speak of a metastasis of the breast cancer. There are two ways in which the tumour can spread.

Firstly, via the lymph vessels into the lymph nodes, and secondly via the blood vessels into various organs – usually into bones, lungs and liver, and more rarely into the brain, skin, ovaries and spleen, among other places. Depending on where metastases form, different symptoms occur. An infestation of lymph nodes can lead to swelling, pain and drainage disorders of the lymph fluid in the affected region.

Bone metastases often occur in the area of the spine and ribs and can cause pain and sudden bone fractures there. Pulmonary metastases can cause coughing and shortness of breath. Liver metastases often lead to symptoms at a late stage.

As the liver has many different functions, the symptoms are varied and may include weight loss, digestive problems or the formation of abdominal fluid. This becomes noticeable by a rapid weight gain and a sudden increase in abdominal girth.