What to do if you suspect you have breast cancer? Teach you 6 ways to check for male breast cancer

When it comes to breast cancer, we think of it as a female disease, but in fact, men also have the risk of breast cancer, but due to differences in physiological structure, women are much more likely to develop breast cancer than men, not most men. So what is male breast cancer? How to check for male breast cancer?

When it comes to male breast cancer, everyone will think of female friends. In fact, men can also get breast cancer, it's just very rare. The following small series will promote male breast cancer and physical examinations. If you want to know, you might as well take a look.

What is male breast cancer?

Male breast cancer is a rare malignant tumor, accounting for 0.2% to 1.5% of all cancers in men, and about 1% of breast cancer. In theory, breast cancer is caused by malignant tumor tissue in breast cells. Men also have breast tissue, so it may also cause breast cancer. It's just that due to different physiological structures, women are much more likely to develop breast cancer than men.

Male breast cancer screening

1. Breast X-ray

A mammogram uses a series of X-ray images to show your breast tissue. This test may be more accurate in men than in women because men don't have dense breast tissue, which makes it difficult to distinguish between normal and abnormal tissue or breast cysts. In a mammogram, a man's breasts are compressed between plastic plates while a radiology technician takes X-rays.

2. Breast Ultrasound

Breast ultrasound, or b-ultrasound, is a technique doctors use to evaluate abnormalities seen on x-rays or found during a clinical exam. Ultrasound waves form images of the structures in the body.

3. Nipple discharge examination

Doctors can collect nipple discharge and test it for cancer cells.

4. Biopsy

A biopsy is the only way doctors know if a breast cancer or abnormality is present. A biopsy can provide information about unusual breast changes and help determine if treatment is needed. If so, what type of treatment is needed. Doctors can use one of these procedures to get a tissue sample.

You or your doctor can feel a fine needle aspiration biopsy. During the procedure, your doctor uses a thin, hollow needle to remove a mass of cells, which are then analyzed in a lab.

In a core needle biopsy, a radiologist or surgeon uses a hollow needle to remove a tissue specimen from a breast lump. Some of the samples, each about the size of a grain of rice, can be taken with a pathologist who then analyzes them for malignant cells. The advantage of a core needle biopsy is that it removes tissue, not just cells.

During a surgical biopsy, your doctor removes all or part of a breast lump. Generally, small lumps are completely removed (excisional biopsy). For larger lumps, only a sample is taken (incisional biopsy). Biopsies are usually done in a clinic or hospital.

5. Estrogen and progesterone receptor test

If malignant cells are found in the biopsy, your doctor may recommend additional testing for estrogen and progesterone receptors, which can help determine if female hormones may influence the growth of the cancer. About 90 percent of male breast cancers have estrogen receptors and more than 80 percent have progesterone receptors. If the cancer cells have receptors for estrogen or progesterone or both, your doctor may recommend treatment with a drug such as tamoxifen to prevent these cells from binding and stimulating growth.

6. HER2 testing

If the biopsy shows malignant cells, doctors may also test the sample for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes the growth of cancer cells. About 30 percent of male breast cancers have too much of the protein, and they often grow and spread more aggressively and quickly than other breast cancers. Once identified, this cancer is treated with a drug called a monoclonal antibody (Herceptin), which stimulates the protein in breast cancer cells.