Although far less common than breast cancer in women, breast cancer can and does get diagnosed in men too! Since everyone is born with breast tissue, anyone, including men, can get breast cancer. Male breast cancer is typically diagnosed in older men but it is possible to be found at any age. Symptoms and treatment of male breast cancer are very similar to those of women.

However, risk factors in men are slightly different than those in women as they include male-specific risk factors as well. The risk factors are:

• Older age as male breast cancer is most often diagnosed in men in their 60s and older
• A history with hormone therapy for prostate cancer or medicines containing estrogen
• A family history of breast cancer
• Inherited DNA changes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2
• Klinefelter Syndrome, a genetic syndrome, when males are born with more than one copy of the X chromosome
• Liver disease which can change the balance of hormones in the body
• Obesity which is linked to higher levels of estrogen and therefore increases the risk of male breast cancer
• Testicle disease or surgery