Breast Cancer Health Center

Breast Cancer in Men

How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed and Treated in Men?

The same techniques that are used to diagnose breast cancer in women are also used in men, such as physical exams, mammography, and biopsies (examining small samples of the tissue under a microscope).

Likewise, the same treatments that are used in treating breast cancer in women -- surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy -- are also used to treat breast cancer in men. The one major difference is that men with breast cancer respond much better to hormone treatments than women do. Approximately 77% of male breast cancers have hormone receptors, that is, they have specific sites on the cancer cells where specific hormones like estrogen can act. In addition, 71% of male breast cancers are BRCA positive (usually BRCA-2). As a result, hormonal treatment is more likely to be effective.