Although extremely rare, breast cancer will kill hundreds of men by the end of this year. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation explains that men and women, when compared at similar stages of the disease, actually have the same survival rate. However, because men are reluctant to report changes and problems in their breasts, their condition is diagnosed later, often after the cancer has spread, increasing the risk of fatality. Fred Dirbas, M.D., assistant professor of breast cancer surgery at Stanford University, says that male breast cancer is generally a random occurrence. Certain groups of men, however, are regarded to be at higher risk, according to the American Cancer Society.
Several conditions serve as markers for increased estrogen, the most common being liver disease.
In addition, certain countries in the Middle East and Africa, where malnutrition and infection affect the liver, have a much higher incidence of male breast cancer than the United States. Men with Klinefelter's syndrome , a genetic disorder that produces an extra sex chromosome. Men with gynecomastia , enlargement of the male breasts. Gynecomastia is also more common in men with Klinefelter's syndrome. Men with a family history of breast cancer .