Breast cancer in men

Breast cancer in men, an underestimated risk

Only about one percent of all breast cancer related illnesses affects men. For this reason, many physicians are sometimes overwhelmed with the diagnostic procedures and therapies in men.

(02.08.2010) Approximately 500 men develop breast cancer every year in Germany, which is relatively low compared to the approximately 55,000 women, but nevertheless represents a risk that is not negligible. In addition, the treatments are mainly limited to therapies for patients with breast cancer whose model is then transferred to the male sex.

This is often not completely unproblematic, as the biology of the man is another, as the Bremen oncologist Bernhard Wörmann stressed against the "Kölner Stadt Anzeiger" and therefore the therapies partly do not show the desired success. Statistically, the proportion of male diseases is so small that the social relevance of the topic is rather insignificant and only by the diseases of celebrities such. As the former national footballer Wolfram Wuttke or the former Kiss drummer Peter Criss occasionally moves into the public eye.

Breast cancer in men, an underestimated risk

Since about 99 percent of breast cancers women meet, many men and doctors are also not aware of the problem rudimentary, said Holm Eggemann of the University Hospital Magdeburg opposite the city of Cologne scoreboard. and he continues to execute that „Men (...) compared to women usually with a higher tumor stage“ come to the treatment.

Only about one in every 1,000 men suffers from breast cancer in the course of his life, but in certain groups the risk is considerably higher. For example, men with a mutated breast cancer gene BRCA 1, BRCA 2 have a disease risk of approximately 7%, and men who suffer from Klinefelter's syndrome are as severely threatened by illness as women due to their increased female sex hormones. In addition, the risk of breast cancer increases significantly due to excessive obesity. But even men who are not associated with a risk group, can contract breast cancer. Since most patients are relatively late to see a specialist, the tumors are often already larger than those of the patients and usually have a diameter of about 2cm. Reached.

Often disease of the lymph nodes

In addition, in 60 percent of cases, the axillae are already affected. Since the tissue can not be removed as generously because of lack of mass in the male breast as in patients, in the majority of patients after the surgical intervention, an additional irradiation is required and if the lymph nodes are already infected followed in most cases, nor chemotherapy.

In addition, almost all men suffering from hormone therapy (usually with tamoxifen), since the tumor in about 95 percent of patients on female sex hormones such. B. Estrogen reacts (in women, the proportion is only about 75 percent). But also the prescription of tamoxifen is not unproblematic, as physicians orientate themselves with the prescription period essentially on the therapy forms for female illnesses and prescribe therefore for 5 years Tamoxifen. Whether this is the right time frame, the oncologist Bernhard Wörmann to follow, however, can not reasonably estimate, since corresponding long-term studies are missing. Even the side effects of hormone therapy in men so far are completely unclear, but it is already the first studies indicate that the side effects in men are far more problematic than in women. Hot flushes, bone loss, an increased risk of thrombosis, as well as mental lability and defenciation of the libido are mentioned here in the first place and are decisive for the fact that for many patients with the treatment, the problems really started. (Sb)

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Picture: Rainer Sturm