While breast cancer is primarily thought of as a disease affecting women, it does occur in men, although not as frequently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that out of every 100 cases of breast cancer, less than one is in men. Most cases of male breast cancer occur in men between the ages of 60 and 70, and when found in the early stages, the chance for a cure is favorable.
Surgery
As BreastCancer.org explains, surgery is usually the first treatment option when the cell abnormality is found to be cancerous. Not only does surgery aid the doctor in determining the severity of the cancer, it's also a vital aspect of the treatment process. The most common surgery for men with breast cancer is a modified radical mastectomy. During this procedure, the doctor removes all breast tissue, the nipple and the area surrounding it, and lymph nodes from the armpit nearest the breast. All that remains are the muscles of the chest wall. The lymph nodes are one of the easiest ways cancer can spread; therefore, the doctor will test them for cancerous cells to determine the risk of this occurring.
Radiation Therapy
A means of administering precise treatment to a specific area of the body, radiation therapy delivers high-energy beams to kill cancer cells. These beams come from a large machine that moves around the body as it delivers the radiation.
This therapy is typically given to men after a mastectomy if the area of the cancer was 5 cm or larger, a significant area of blood vessels was involved or the patient had four or more lymph nodes test positive for cancerous cells, according to BreastCancer.org. The therapy generally lasts five to seven weeks, and is given five days a week.
Chemotherapy
While radiation uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells, chemotherapy utilizes powerful drugs that are given either orally or intravenously, meaning in the vein. Chemotherapy is typically given to men who either have cancer that has spread or who are at risk for their cancer spreading. To improve the success rate of this treatment, doctors often prescribe two or more chemotherapy drugs, which may be given together, or one after the other. This treatment is typically administered over a three- to six-month period, depending on the drugs the doctor prescribes.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy incorporates the use of medications for specific abnormalities within the cells, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cells producing too much HER2, a certain protein that helps cancer cells grow and survive, usually face treatment with the medications Herceptin and Tykerb.
Tumors can also grow in blood vessels where the oxygen and nutrients that cancer cells need to survive are readily available. The drug Avastin targets this problem, preventing cancer cells from sending signals for new blood vessels to form so that they may continue to survive and grow.
