What Are the Symptoms of Male Breast Cancer?

Q: Can a man have breast cancer? If so, what are the symptoms? How do I know if I have breast cancer?

From Dr. Martee L. Hensley:

Breast cancer is rare in men — about 2,000 cases of male breast cancer are diagnosed in the United States annually. Because this cancer is so rare, screening all men with mammograms (special X-rays of the breast) is not recommended. However, men can still do a physical exam to try to detect lumps. It's actually easier for men to find small breast lumps this way because they have much less breast tissue than women. These breast cancer–related lumps are generally quite firm and might be difficult to move (they may feel "fixed" to the skin or to the muscle and other tissue beneath them). If the cancer is more advanced, the skin on top of the lump may appear red or irritated. Generally, a breast cancer lump is not painful.

If you have found a new lump in your breast, a physician should examine you to determine whether the lump is suspicious. Your doctor will need to know whether you have a family history of cancer on either your mother's or your father's side, and whether you have siblings or other blood relatives who have cancer. He or she will also want to know whether you have had significant exposure to radiation in the past, and whether you take medicines, such as estrogens or antiandrogens, that can affect male hormone levels. If you are found to have a suspicious lump, your doctor may order a mammogram, a breast sonogram, and possibly a biopsy to determine whether the lump is malignant (cancerous).