Breast Cancer & Gender

"Although it happens more rarely in men, breast cancer is not gender-specific. I was in Costa Rica, and in the shower I felt this lump under my left nipple. It was very small, mind you, but enough to make me call my doctor."
Richard Roundtree



There are a many perfectly designed, viral going campaigns to raise awareness for breast cancer. What they all do have in common is ... they exclusively target women. In men, breast cancer is rare, but it is there. In the UK, for instance, each year around 50.000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women compared with 350 in men (via). As it is a rare situation, most studies are very small (via). In addition, getting support can be more difficult for men with breast cancer (via). The American Cancer Society estimates that about 440 men will die from breast cancer in 2016 (via).

"Breast cancer in men is a rare disease. Less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men. In 2016, about 2,600 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease. For men, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000." Breast Cancer

"Because so many cases of breast cancer occur in women and it is very rare in men, a lot of the information is directed towards women. But much of the information that men with breast cancer need is the same."
Cancer Research UK

::: More information: Cancer Research UK & Breast Cancer

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photograph via