Male breast cancer generally occurs at what age?

Written by Peng Li Bo
Oncology
Updated on January 03, 2025
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The general age of onset for male breast cancer is between 65 and 67 years old, which is about five to ten years later than the onset age for female breast cancer. Male breast cancer is a relatively rare malignancy, accounting for only 0.6% to 1% of all breast cancer cases, meaning that out of 100 breast cancer patients, approximately one is male. The development of male breast cancer is caused by multiple factors, which may include genetic factors, environmental influences, and also related to levels of hormone secretion from the endocrine system.

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Can breast cancer be contagious?

Breast cancer is not contagious. Infectious diseases have their natural characteristics. For instance, respiratory infectious diseases and even hepatitis can be transmitted through certain pathways. Cancer, including breast cancer, is not communicable. To date, medical research has found no evidence suggesting that cancer can be spread from person to person. Only about 5% of cancers have a genetic component. Consider this: if cancer were contagious, wouldn't medical professionals, aside from the patients' families, be the most affected group? However, how many health care providers have contracted cancer from their patients? Thus, it can be stated that breast cancer is not contagious.

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Early symptoms of breast cancer

The symptoms of early-stage breast cancer mainly include breast lumps, abnormal nipple discharge, and changes in breast skin. Breast cancer is a common type of malignant tumor among women in China, with adenocarcinoma being the most common pathological type, although other types can also be seen clinically. Patients exhibiting abnormal breast lumps, abnormal nipple discharge, and changes in breast skin should consider the possibility of breast cancer. Patients suspected of having breast cancer should undergo breast imaging tests, including mammography and breast MRI, among others. Patients in whom abnormal breast masses are found during imaging tests can obtain a definitive diagnosis by surgical removal or percutaneous biopsy. Patients diagnosed with breast cancer should undergo surgical treatment as soon as possible.

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Early-stage breast cancer symptoms

Early-stage breast cancer may exhibit several symptoms. The first is the presence of breast lumps. The second symptom might be nipple discharge, which can be serous, watery, or milky in nature. The third symptom might involve changes in the skin over the breast tumor, including skin adhesion, such as dimpling, engorgement of superficial veins, skin reddening, localized increase in temperature, and an orange-peel texture. The fourth symptom includes abnormalities of the nipple and areola, potentially featuring nipple retraction, erosion of the nipple, thickening of the nipple epithelium, and reddening. The fifth symptom could be breast pain.

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Written by Fan Hong Qiao
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What is invasive breast cancer?

Invasive breast cancer is the most common tumor in women, accounting for 22% of all malignant tumors in females. Invasive breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor where cancer cells have broken through the basement membrane of the breast ducts or lobular alveoli and invaded the interstitium. The vast majority of invasive breast cancers are adenocarcinomas, originating from the epithelial cells of the breast parenchyma, especially from the terminal duct lobular units. Its characteristics include the tumor's infiltration into adjacent tissues and a marked tendency for distant metastasis.

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How long does breast cancer surgery take?

There are many types of surgery for breast cancer clinically, and the most commonly used currently are the modified radical mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer. The timing of the breast cancer surgery, the specific surgical method, anesthesia method, the proficiency of the surgeon, and whether rapid pathology is needed during surgery are all factors that affect the duration; therefore, the surgery time is not fixed. In most cases, the modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer takes about two hours. If rapid pathology is needed during the surgery, the time may also be extended accordingly, so it needs to be determined based on the specific situation.