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Patrick I. Borgen, MD
Chair, Department of Surgery
Director, Maimonides Breast Cancer Center
Brooklyn, New York


Only about 2000 new cases of male breast cancer occur each year in the United States. The disease is most common in older men, though male breast cancer can occur at any age. When diagnosed at an early stage, breast cancer in men can be treated and is often cured; however, many times this cancer is not diagnosed until it has advanced, and this may be due to a lack of awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer in men. The most common sign is a hard, painless lump right behind the nipple. Other signs and symptoms include thickening in the breast tissue, a discharge from the nipple, and changes in the nipple or skin of the breast. A man diagnosed with breast cancer may feel embarrassed about having a “woman’s disease,” but male breast cancer is serious and life threatening, and it should be diagnosed and treated as soon as symptoms appear. The good news, says Dr. Borgen, is that early treatment results in 90% of these cancers being cured.