Latest update December 23rd, 2024 3:40 AM
Male Breast Cancer on the rise
The recent announcement of an increase of 200 new cases of cancer in Guyana for this year is troubling not only for women, but also for men. The general belief that only females have breast cancer is false. Men should beware, because males have also been diagnosed with breast cancer, but it is rare and is generally overlooked. 
Studies have shown that the development of male breast cancer is similar to that of females. Men’s breast tissues are almost the same as breast tissues found in women and are susceptible to cancer cells in the same way. Male breast cancer occurs when malignant cells form in the tissues of the breast. Any male can develop breast cancer, but it is most common among men who are 60 years and older.
The Cancer Institute of Guyana has reported that there are several incidents of male breast cancer in the country. Breast cancer is ranked as the leading form of cancer to affects women. It currently accounts for almost 17 percent of all cancers and 27 percent of cancers in females.
About 300 new cases of breast cancer were detected in the country in 2010. Since then, it has decreased to 150 per year. Statistics on male breast cancer are not available, but it is estimated that about one percent of men are diagnosed with the disease annually and the death rate is minimal. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
In October every year, countries around the world including Guyana celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). The goal is to remind everyone that early screening of the disease can save lives.
And while strides have been made to tackle the disease, serious challenges remain. BCAM is an annual international health campaign organized by breast cancer charities to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention.
The campaign offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer. BCAM was founded in October 1985 by the American Cancer Society in partnership with the pharmaceutical industries.
According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common disease among women and the death rate is high in both the developed and underdeveloped countries. It is estimated that one in six women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. However, early detection and advances in technological treatment could help women beat the disease.
In the United States, about 1 in 8 women or 12% of females will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. An estimated 2.8 million women, including 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 61,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the US in 2017.
Death rates in cancer among women in the US have decreased since 1990 due to early detection, advances in treatment and increased awareness. Nonetheless, about 41,000 women have died from the disease in the US in 2016 and the same amount is expected to die in 2017. For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are the second highest after lung cancer than for any other cancer. It is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer after skin cancer among American women.
Breast cancer is more common in African-American women under 45 years than white women and they are more likely to die of the disease. The risk of Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women developing and dying from breast cancer is lower. A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a relative who has been diagnosed with the disease.
But less than 15% of women with breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it, which suggests that the majority breast cancer cases occur in women with no family history of the disease. While there has been a gradual reduction of breast cancer among women over 50 years in recently, incidents of breast cancer among men are on the rise.
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