Prognosis
When similar types of breast cancers are diagnosed in men, that are and found at the same stage, the prognosis for men is comparable to breast cancers that are diagnosed in women. Unfortunately, more often than not, male breast cancer is diagnosed at a later, more advanced stage. This occurs because the majority of men are unaware that breast cancer is also a disease that is found in men and men, in genereal, are reluctant to seek medical advise, especially regarding a breast issue.
Consequently, it is of paramount importance that men are aware that early detection is the key to providing the same prognosis as for women with breast cancer.
Treatment
Because male breast cancer (MBC) accounts for only 1% of all reported breast cancer cases, there is limited, comparable information available regarding treatment options. As a result, most oncologists rely on the personal history from other MBC patients and clinical studies involving breast cancer in women to suggest treatment options for MBC patients. They have concluded that MBC patients are generally treated the same way as female breast cancer patients. However, this is changing as more research into the differences between male and female breast cancer is starting to show differences between the two, suggesting that in the future, different treatment options will likely be available1,2.
As with breast cancer in women, there are four stages of MBC. The description of the four stages and methods of treatment for each stage of MBC are beyond the scope of this website and are accurately summarized by the American Cancer Society.
2 http://www.ecco-org.eu/Events/EBCC10/Abstract-search?abstractid=24211
