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Testosterone Tuesday: Delay In Male Breast Cancer Treatment
Some of the latest research in Switzerland on male breast cancer shows that the disease is often treated at a late stage and is not caught early. We don’t often associate breast cancer with men but it is as real for them as it is for women.
Dr. Marina Garassino of the University of Study of Milan, Italy and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 146 men, about 62 years old on average, who were diagnosed with breast cancer.
Garassino stated in a phone interview with Reuters Health that one third of the males studied were in the advanced stages of breast cancer by the time they were diagnosed. He said for females with breast cancer the “presentation is advanced in less than 10 percent.”
Garassino says that doctors may play a role as much as patients in delayed diagnosis of male breast cancer. He says that physicians may notice that there is a breast lump but do not relate it to breast cancer. The male patient may also notice the lump early but does not think that it is a tumor leading to the cancer diagnosed at a late stage.
Male breast cancer is a hormonal dependent disease and if it is treated early the prognosis my be better than what it is in women.
All of the men studied received surgery to remove their cancer. A total of 48 men received radiation treatment; 100 received chemotherapy or hormone therapy; and 42 received no additional treatment after their surgery. The 10-year survival rate for men with earlier-stage breast cancer was 47%. Men who were diagnosed at a late stage had a 10-year survival rate of 44%.
“The message for men,” Garassino said, “is this: if you have a lump in your breast, go immediately to the physician. Don’t wait, because you may have a tumor.”
You can read more posts by Sandy Robinson at her other health blogs: Fighting Fatigue & IC Disease. Sandy also writes for the American Idolist site on WebbleYou.
Posted by Sandy Robinson | Chronic Health Blog | WebbleYou Blog Network | © 2008 |
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