Symptoms of male breast cancer

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on November 17, 2024
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The clinical symptoms of male breast cancer are generally similar to those of females, mainly presenting as painless, progressive enlargement of breast lumps. These breast lumps usually occur under the areola, and some patients may experience nipple inversion or abnormal nipple discharge. Many breast lumps tend to have unclear boundaries with surrounding tissues and often adhere to the skin or chest muscles. Many patients with male breast cancer experience metastasis to the axillary lymph nodes, causing the metastatic lymph nodes to enlarge and become painful, local lymphatic drainage obstruction, and causing local upper limb swelling and pain. Moreover, some male breast cancer cases have metastasized to the lungs, presenting clinically with symptoms such as coughing and chest pain related to the respiratory system. Some patients with male breast cancer have liver metastasis, clinically presenting with pain in the liver area, decreased appetite, and abnormal coagulation functions.

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Early-stage breast cancer may exhibit several symptoms. The first is the presence of breast lumps. The second symptom might be nipple discharge, which can be serous, watery, or milky in nature. The third symptom might involve changes in the skin over the breast tumor, including skin adhesion, such as dimpling, engorgement of superficial veins, skin reddening, localized increase in temperature, and an orange-peel texture. The fourth symptom includes abnormalities of the nipple and areola, potentially featuring nipple retraction, erosion of the nipple, thickening of the nipple epithelium, and reddening. The fifth symptom could be breast pain.

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Breast cancer generally does not directly cause hair loss. In some cases, if it is breast cancer, it may cause anxiety, poor rest, and sleep quality, which might lead to relatively noticeable hair loss. However, hair loss associated with breast cancer mainly occurs during chemotherapy, as it is a common side effect of the treatment. Therefore, apart from chemotherapy, the relationship between breast cancer itself and hair loss is not particularly significant. While some people may experience noticeable hair loss, most do not have obvious hair loss.

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Breast Cancer Screening Methods

Breast cancer screening methods start with manual palpation to check for lumps. Second, mammography is used, which is the most effective method for early diagnosis of breast cancer with a sensitivity of 80%-90%. Additionally, breast ultrasound and B-ultrasound examinations can be performed, which are simple, safe, and non-invasive. Another available method is breast MRI, which provides more accurate differentiation between benign and malignant tumors. Lastly, a biopsy using a hollow needle can also be done.

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Breast cancer chemotherapy regimen

Breast cancer chemotherapy regimen. Thus, chemotherapy occupies a very important position in the treatment of breast cancer. The commonly used chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer treatment include alkylating agents, such as cyclophosphamide; antimetabolites like fluorouracil, methotrexate, gemcitabine, and capecitabine; anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin and others. In recent years, taxanes, particularly docetaxel, have been used more frequently. Other drugs include mitomycin and cisplatin, among others. However, the specific chemotherapy regimen for breast cancer should be assessed by a professional oncologist. The regimen should consider the pathological stage, pathological type, whether surgery was performed, whether the surgery completely removed the tumor, lymph node metastasis, and other factors to devise a suitable chemotherapy plan. Therefore, it is possible that each individual might have a regimen that is specifically suited to their situation, and not all regimens are suitable for everyone.

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Breast Cancer Self-Examination Method

Breast self-examination helps to detect changes in the breasts in a timely manner, and to discover breast diseases promptly. For instance, breast lumps are often found by patients themselves during self-examination. However, finding a breast lump does not necessarily mean it is breast cancer, as many conditions can present as breast lumps, such as the most common one, fibrocystic breast changes. Besides breast self-examination, early detection of breast cancer also relies on regular physical check-ups. It is recommended that women of childbearing age should develop the habit of regular breast self-examinations and routine physical check-ups, and consult a doctor promptly if abnormalities are found.