Breast cancer in men: types

Posted on 28 October 2014

In recent years we’re hearing more and more about men being diagnosed with breast cancer. Here we take a look at five types of breast cancers men may get.

In recent years we’re hearing more and more about men being diagnosed with breast cancer. Here we take a look at five types of breast cancers men may get.

According to CANSA’s Breast Cancer Fact Sheet, authored by Professor Michael Herbst, which cites research from the National Cancer Institute in the USA, there are five main types of breast cancer that occur in men:

1. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is also known as intraductal carcinoma, where cancer cells form in the breast ducts but do not grow through the walls of the ducts into the fatty tissue. DCIS accounts for about one in 10 cases of breast cancer in men. It is almost always curable with surgery.

2. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) is a type of breast cancer where the cancer breaks through the wall of the duct and grows through the fatty tissue of the breast. At this point, it can spread to other parts of the body. At least eight out of 10 male breast cancers are IDCs.

3. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC), where the cancer starts in the breast lobules and grows into the fatty tissue of the breast. ILC is very rare in men, accounting for only about two percent of male breast cancers.

4. Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), where abnormal cells form in the lobules, but don’t grow into the fatty tissue of the breast or spread outside the breast. As with invasive lobular carcinoma, LCIS is very rare in men.

5. Paget disease of the nipple is a type of breast cancer that starts in the breast ducts and spreads to the nipple. It may also spread to the areola. The skin of the nipple usually appears crusted scaly, and red, with areas of itching, oozing, burning, or bleeding. It may be associated with DCIS or with infiltrating ductal carcinoma. It accounts for about one percent of female breast cancers but a higher percentage of male breast cancers.

CANSA Support
You can contact the Cancer Association of South Africa by sending them an email <info@cansa.org.za> or calling 0800 22 66 22 – it’s toll free and open from 08h00 to 16h30 during the week.

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.