DE-GENDERING BREAST CANCER: BEYOND THE GENDER
Breast cancer in men is rare, but it does happen. Less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 2,700 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in men in the United States and about 530 men die from the disease.?
Although male breast cancer shares many similarities with that of women, there are also important differences. This includes anatomical differences & similarities, diagnosis, and treatment of the condition. Treatment for breast cancer in men is typically guided by research performed on women. Since the disease is relatively rare in men, they are often excluded from clinical trials that explore new treatments. However, as of 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called on researchers to include male patients in clinical trials of breast cancer treatments, even if the studies are unlikely to enroll more than a handful of male patients.
Get informed about the similarities and differences in breast cancer in both genders from this eye-opening piece from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.