Male Breast Cancer

How to Recognize Male Breast Cancer

Knowing the signs and symptoms of male breast cancer could save your life or the life of a loved one. The best chances for treatment and ultimately survival occur when the disease is found in its earliest stages. If you are experiencing any symptoms or persistent breast changes you should report them to your physician.

Lie down and place your right arm behind your head. The exam should be performed when lying down because the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.

Use the pads of the 3 middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.

Use 3 different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal. If you're not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse. Use each pressure level to feel the breast tissue before moving on to the next spot.

Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone (sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone.

Repeat the exam on your left breast, using the finger pads of the right hand.

Examine each underarm while sitting or standing up and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area.

TIPS

The most common signs of breast cancer for both men and women are a lump, mass or thickening in the breast. Frequently the lump is painless. Other male breast cancer symptoms include but are not limited to:

• Skin dimpling or puckering.
• Development of a new inversion/retraction (the nipple turns inward) or indentation of the nipple.
‌• Nipple discharge.