About Male Breast Cancer
What is Male Breast Cancer?
Male breast cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissue of the breast. There are few people who even know males can get breast cancer and I think it is important to make people aware. Over a 25 year period, female breast cancer has increased 52%, while male breast cancer has increased 26%. While the percent of increase in males is not necessarily high, it could be a lot lower if more men were aware that this could happen to them. The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer for men is 1 in every 1,000 women. Statistics found throughout this site come from the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, The Center for Breast Care at Howard County General Hospital, and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Five Year Cancer Survival Rates by Stage
Stage 0 100% Stage I 98% Stage II 88% Stage III A 56% Stage III B 49% Stage IV 16%
Facts About Male Breast Cancer
- Risk increases with age
- Average age of detection is between the ages of 60-70 years old
- Rarely occurs in men under 30 years old
- Male breast cancer has been found in two male children
- A more advanced disease state is found in men compared to women, which is a result of delayed detection
- Overall survival rates are lower in men than in women
- In 2007, it was estimated that 2,030 men would be diagnosed and 450 would die
- Five year survival rates for males range from 30%-85%
- Five year survival rates for females range from 16%-98%
- Survival rates between males and females based on each stage are about the same