Лечение рака молочной железы у мужчин

Breast cancer in men is a rather rare pathology, and it is assumed that genetic mutations play a significant role in the development of the disease. The treatment of breast cancer in men  in Israel is in many ways similar to the strategy  for treating breast cancer in women , and the Herzliya Medical Center private clinic uses the most advanced surgical and therapeutic methods for this purpose. Among them — hormone therapy, the high effectiveness of this method in the treatment of breast cancer in men is confirmed by numerous clinical studies.

The mammary glands are present not only in women, but also in men. During puberty, the female mammary glands increase in volume, the male ones do not undergo any changes. However, the male mammary glands also contain a system of milk ducts connected to the nipple, they also have adipose tissue, and — just like the female mammary glands — they can form cancerous tumors.

Types of Breast Cancer in Men

• Ductal carcinoma is a tumor that develops on the basis of the epithelium of the ducts of the mammary gland. The most common form of breast cancer in men.
• Lobular (lobular) carcinoma — a tumor that forms in the mammary lobes of the gland. In men, this form of cancer is rare.
• Paget’s disease is a breast cancer that spreads to the area of ​​the nipple.

Causes and Risk Factors

The exact cause of breast cancer in men has not yet been established. It is proved that in some cases the development of a malignant tumor is caused by a genetic mutation, in particular, a mutation in the BRCA2 gene. This gene encodes the synthesis of a protein involved in the regulation of cell growth. A mutation in the BRCA2 gene and, as a consequence, a violation of physiological processes in the cell lead to its malignant transformation.

Cancer treatment in Israel  often involves a genetic testing procedure to establish the hereditary nature of cancer. Genetic testing is advisable for breast cancer in men, since carriers of the mutant gene can pass it on to their descendants, which, in turn, will automatically be assigned to the high-risk group. In addition, carriers of mutations in the BRCA2 gene also have an increased risk of prostate cancer, which is why they need regular diagnostic checks.

Other factors that increase the likelihood of breast cancer in men include:

• Age over 60;
• Taking hormonal drugs containing estrogen;
• The presence of Klinefelter syndrome;
• Obesity;
• Exposure to ionizing radiation;
• Cirrhosis of the liver.

Symptoms of breast cancer in men

• Painless seal in the mammary gland;
• Redness of the skin in the chest area, the appearance of holes, tuberosity, rash;
• Inversion (retraction) of the nipple or the appearance of secretions.

Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Timely diagnosis and prompt initiation of treatment for breast cancer in men significantly improves the prognosis of the disease. Therefore, if suspicious signs appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. The diagnostic program includes the following checks:

• Inspection and examination of the breast by the surgeon;
• Mammography — radiography of the mammary gland;
• Ultrasound of the mammary gland;
• A biopsy is a puncture of a neoplasm in the mammary gland and the collection of biological material for histopathological examination.

Treatment of breast cancer in men

The treatment of breast cancer in men does not differ fundamentally from the treatment of a similar disease in women, but at the same time it has a number of features.

Surgery

Most patients undergo a modified radical mastectomy. Along with the resection of all tissues and structures of the mammary gland, part of the axillary lymph nodes is removed if there is a high probability that cancer cells are present in them.

Oncology treatment in Israel in some cases includes a signal lymph node biopsy procedure. A signal node is a lymph node, which occupies the first position in relation to a tumor in the path of lymph outflow. The absence of cancer cells in the signal lymph node is a favorable prognostic sign, indicating that the cancer tumor has not spread beyond the breast.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy  is one of the standard oncology treatments in Israel. In breast cancer in men, chemotherapy is used to destroy residual cancer cells or metastases.

Hormone therapy

In some patients with cancer, malignant tumors are hormone-dependent. This means that to maintain the vital activity of cancer cells, hormones are required, and the membrane of such cells includes hormonal receptors — proteins that bind hormones and transport them to the cell cytoplasm.

Hormone therapy has been successfully used to treat hormone-dependent tumors. Hormone therapy drugs block cancer cell receptors and thus inhibit cell growth. Since about 90% of malignant breast tumors in men are hormone-dependent, hormone therapy — in particular, tamoxifen administration — is an extremely effective remedy.

Despite the fact that breast cancer in men belongs to the category of rare oncological diseases, surgeons and oncologists of the private clinic Herzliya Medical Center have extensive practical experience in its treatment. Early diagnosis and the use of advanced methods of modern oncology are the key to successful treatment of breast cancer in men.