Asked by: Anta Jungbluth
healthy living womens health

Is gynecomastia a risk factor for breast cancer?

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One of the largest studies conducted to date pooled datafrom studies of about 2,400 men with breast cancer and52,000 men without breast cancer and confirmed that riskfactors for male breast cancer include obesity, a raregenetic condition called Klinefelter syndrome, andgynecomastia (excess breast tissue).


Furthermore, can gynecomastia lead to breast cancer?

Gynecomastia — enlarged male breasttissue — may slightly increase your risk of breastcancer. But even with gynecomastia, your risk ofdeveloping male breast cancer is very small. It morecommonly involves both breasts but can occur in only onebreast. Most often, the condition is caused by hormonechanges.

Also Know, what are the odds of a male getting breast cancer? Even so, male breast cancer is very rare. Lessthan one percent of all breast cancer cases develop inmen, and only one in a thousand men will ever bediagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer inmen is usually detected as a hard lump underneath the nippleand areola.

Subsequently, one may also ask, who is at greatest risk for breast cancer?

Being a woman and getting older are the main riskfactors for breast cancer. Studies have shown that yourrisk for breast cancer is due to a combination of factors.The main factors that influence your risk include being awoman and getting older. Most breast cancers are found inwomen who are 50 years old or older.

What can cause a lump in a man breast?

The main cause of gynecomastia is a change inhormones. Most often, this happens at birth, puberty, or as part ofaging. These are natural times when the hormones in your bodychange levels. An imbalance of hormones — estrogen andtestosterone — can enlarge yourbreasts.

Related Question Answers

Alexandar Casali

Professional

Why do men get breast cancer?

It's not clear what causes male breast cancer.Doctors know that male breast cancer occurs when somebreast cells divide more rapidly than healthy cellsdo. The accumulating cells form a tumor that may spread(metastasize) to nearby tissue, to the lymph nodes or to otherparts of the body.

Basmala Cynthia

Professional

Is gynecomastia a serious problem?

Generally, gynecomastia isn't a seriousproblem, but it can be tough to cope with the condition.Men and boys with gynecomastia sometimes have pain in theirbreasts and may feel embarrassed. Gynecomastia may go awayon its own.

Galo Argeles

Professional

Is male breast cancer painful?

The main symptom of male breast cancer isa lump in the breast area. Possible symptoms ofmale breast cancer include: a lump in one breast,which is usually painless. nipple retraction, ulceration, anddischarge.

Gudula Gailu

Explainer

Where does breast cancer usually start?

Breast cancer most often begins with cells in themilk-producing ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma). Breastcancer may also begin in the glandular tissue calledlobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or in other cells or tissuewithin the breast.

Genis Steinbrugger

Explainer

How is male breast cancer diagnosed?

Tests may include a breast X-ray(mammogram) or an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to createimages. Removing a sample of breast cells for testing(biopsy). A biopsy is the only definitive way to make adiagnosis of breast cancer.

Khalida Sutterluti

Explainer

How do you know if you have gynecomastia or fat?

You may have gynecomastia in one or bothbreasts. It may start as a lump or fatty tissue beneath thenipple, which may be sore. The breasts often get largerunevenly. The symptoms of gynecomastia may look like othermedical conditions or problems.

Xuwei Bonomi

Pundit

How do you confirm gynecomastia?

How is gynecomastia diagnosed? The diagnosis isbased on physical symptoms, breast exam, medical history andmedication review, and other exams. Breast pain and tenderness arecommon symptoms. Often times a firm rubbery disk of tissue, locateddirectly beneath the nipple area, is felt during theexam.

Habibur Loewenthal

Pundit

What age can a man get breast cancer?

It's rare for a man under age 35 to getbreast cancer. A man's chance of getting breastcancer goes up with age. Most breast cancershappen to men between ages 60 and 70.

Faisal Samaranch

Pundit

Which breast is more prone to cancer?

Breast cancer is more common in the leftbreast than the right. The left breast is 5 - 10%more likely to develop cancer than the rightbreast. The left side of the body is also roughly 5% moreprone to melanoma (a type of skin cancer).

Zuhaitz Amour

Pundit

What age is breast cancer more common?

The older you are, the higher your risk. Most breastcancers (80%) occur in women over the age of 50.Most men who get breast cancer are over60.

Beverley Thorbeck

Pundit

What is usually the first sign of breast cancer?

Male breast cancer symptoms can be similar tothose experienced by women and may include: Lumps in thebreast, usually painless. Thickening of thebreast. Changes to the nipple or breast skin, such asdimpling, puckering or redness.

Olay Scharfchen

Teacher

Does stress cause breast cancer?

Most scientific studies have found that stressdoes not increase the risk of cancer. Some individualstudies have suggested that stress can cause cancer,particularly breast cancer. But overall the evidence forthis has been poor. This evidence tells us that stressitself doesn't cause cancer.

Solayman Nicodeme

Teacher

Which hormone is responsible for breast cancer?

Breast cancers that have many cells withhormone receptors (estrogen receptor-positive) can betreated with hormone therapy. pregnancy and reducing therisk of ovarian cancer?

Yusimi Bomert

Teacher

What are the major causes of breast cancer?

More detail is in the main article. Breastcancer is the most common cancer among women. Symptomsinclude a lump or thickening of the breast, and changes tothe skin or the nipple. Risk factors can be genetic, but somelifestyle factors, such as alcohol intake, make it more likely tohappen.

Louay Muhlhans

Teacher

What percentage is considered high risk for breast cancer?

One absolute risk you may see is lifetimerisk of breast cancer. Women in the U.S. have a "1 in8” (or about 13 percent) lifetime risk ofgetting breast cancer [589]. This means for every 8 women inthe U.S., 1 will be diagnosed with breast cancer during herlifetime.

Mesbah Muradas

Reviewer

What is breast cancer pain like?

They can vary greatly from painful, hard, andimmobile to soft, painless, and easily moveable. According toBreastCancer.org, lumps are most likely to be cancerous ifthey do not cause pain, are hard, unevenly shaped,and immobile.

Adelto Tembras

Reviewer

How dangerous is breast cancer?

A tumor can be benign (not dangerous to health)or malignant (has the potential to be dangerous). Benigntumors are not considered cancerous: their cells are close tonormal in appearance, they grow slowly, and they do not invadenearby tissues or spread to other parts of the body. Malignanttumors are cancerous.

Adriam Josebe

Reviewer

Do men get periods?

Can Men Get Periods? Like women, menexperience hormonal shifts and changes. Every day, a man'stestosterone levels rise in the morning and fall in theevening.

Sokaina Borriel

Reviewer

Is male breast cancer hereditary?

Men who inherit abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes (BRstands for BReast, and CA stands for CAncer) have anincreased risk of male breast cancer. The lifetime risk ofdeveloping breast cancer is approximately 1% with the BRCA1gene mutation and 6% with the BRCA2 genemutation.