Many people don’t know that men can, and do, develop breast cancer. With fewer cases, researchers and physicians don’t have the same data and resources to understand and treat male breast cancer. And treatments are often the same for men and women – despite their genetic differences.
Researchers at the Komen Tissue Bank know that male breast cancer behaves and develops differently than that in women, and we’re working to discover more about the disease.
Cancer affects everybody differently, and it will take a great cross-section of all of us to throw in and play our part.
Eric Merriweather — Tissue Donor
Although it is rare, men can get breast cancer. About one out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man. Some men inherit abnormal (mutated) genes from their parents that increase the risk of breast cancer. Mutations in one of several genes, especially a gene called BRCA2, put you at greater risk of developing breast and prostate cancers.
Men who have a strong family history of cancer should discuss this with their doctors. Black males have the highest incidence of breast cancer among males.
The most common kinds of breast cancer in men are the same kinds in women:
Relative 1-year and 5-year survival of male breast cancer patients, by race/ethnicity— United States, 2007–2016
Ellington TD, Henley SJ, Wilson RJ, Miller JW. Breast Cancer Survival Among Males by Race, Ethnicity, Age, Geographic Region, and Stage — United States, 2007–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1481–1484.
Now that men are able to contribute, I tell people this is something small you can give of yourself.
Stephen Peachey, Jr. — Tissue Donor
If you’re a healthy man, you can contribute to male breast cancer research. KTB encourages men of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to donate.
Your donation of healthy breast tissue is important to breast cancer research that may lead to better treatments or a cure. You could leave a legacy that is instrumental in protecting generations to come.
The Komen Tissue Bank is the only repository in the world for normal breast tissue and matched serum, plasma, and DNA. We are transforming breast cancer research by offering normal, high-quality, richly annotated tissue samples to scientists worldwide.
