Male Breast Cancer (continuation 4)

What is the outcome (prognosis) of male breast cancer?

The prognosis of a patient with male breast cancer is considered similarly to breast cancer in a woman. Overall survival rates for each tumor stage are similar for men and women. Since men have less breast tissue than women, it is more common for breast cancers in men to have spread beyond the breast when they are identified, resulting in a more advanced tumor stage at diagnosis.
Five-year survival rates (meaning the percentage of patients who live for at least five years following diagnosis) reported for male breast cancer by stage are:

• Stage 0 - 100%
• Stage I - 96%
• Stage II - 84%
• Stage III - 52%
• Stage IV - 24%

These survival rates were calculated using historical data, and it is likely that current treatments will lead to even greater survival rates for those recently diagnosed.

Male Breast Cancer at a Glance

• Male breast cancer is rare and accounts for only about 1% of all breast cancers.
• Breast cancer risk in men is increased by elevated levels of estrogen, previous radiation exposure, and a family history of breast cancer.
• Infiltrating ductal carcinoma is the most common type of male breast cancer.
• A lump beneath the nipple is the most common symptom of male breast cancer.
• Male breast cancer is staged (reflecting the extent of tumor spread) identically to breast cancer in women.
• Surgery is the most common initial treatment for male breast cancer; chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy are also administered.
• The prognosis of male breast cancer, like breast cancer in women, is predominantly influenced by tumor stage.

References: The American Cancer Society

The National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health