When Male Worry About Their Breasts
Breast cancer is one of the most diagnosed diseases among women. But what most people do not know is that breast cancer can also strike men. By definition, breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has grown from the cells of the tissues of the breast.
Like women, men also have breast tissues. The only difference between men and women when it comes to breasts is their hormones. In fact, men and women have basically the same kind of breasts until they reach the age of puberty. The female hormones produced by the ovaries causes the breasts of women to grow and to form lobules or milk glands at the end of these ducts. Female hormones also increase the amount of stroma or fatty and connective tissues that surround the ducts and lobules.
On the other hand, the male hormone produced by the testicles stops the further growth of the breast tissues. Like the female breast tissues, male breast tissues also contain ducts but they only have few lobules.
And like the other cells in a man’s body, breast cells can also be afflicted with cancer. The only reason why breast cancer is much more common to women is because they have more breast cells than men and unlike men, their breasts are constantly exposed to growth-promoting female hormones.
Truth is breast disorders can afflict both men and women. And these disorders come in a wide variety. Most tumors that form in the breasts are benign. This means that they are not cancerous, do not spread outside of the breasts and are therefore not life threatening. Examples of benign tumors are fibroadenomas and papillomas. These benign tumors commonly occur in women and not in men. There are some tumors though that are malignant. These are the tumors that are cancerous and are therefore life-threatening.
The breasts contain lymphatic vessels, or vein like structures that carry lymph. A lymph is a clear fluid that carry tissue fluid and waste products and immune system cells which plays a very important role in defending the body against infections. A collection of these immune system cells form bean-shaped like structures called a lymph node. Lymph nodes are located along lymphatic vessels. Cancer cells can sometimes spread to nodes of the lymphs when they enter lymphatic vessels.
There are many types of breast cancer and the possibility of men acquiring these cancers varies. Adenocarcinoma is a type of breast cancer that affects that ducts or lobules of the breasts. Adenocarcinomas is a term referred to all types of cancers that affect glands. There are two main types of breast adenocarcinomas, ducal carcinomas and lobular carcinomas.
Another type of breast cancer is lobular breast cancer. This type of breast cancer though is very rare among men. Only about two percent of men who have breast cancer suffer from lobular cancer. This is due to the lack of lobules or milk-producing glands in the male breast.
Another type of breast cancer is called Paget disease of the nipple. This type of breast cancer begins in the ducts of the breasts and then spreads to the skin of the nipple and sometimes even in the areola or the dark circle around the nipple. Symptoms of Paget’s disease of the nipples include red, crusty and scaly skin of the nipples with areas that can be painful, itchy, oozing or bleeding. A lump can also be detected when a fingertip is pressed against the breasts.
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