Both men and women can be diagnosed with breast cancer. And while a significantly larger percentage of women acquire the disease, men can also be diagnosed with this deadly illness.
Here are some of the surprising signs of male breast cancer:
1. Lumps
Just like in women, lumps in the breast are one sign of breast cancer in men. If you feel a firm lump on your chest, or pectoral muscles, near your nipple, then you might need to get it checked out to know if it is breast cancer or not.
2. Changes in the shape of the breast
Another sign of breast cancer in men would be a change in the shape of the breast. This usually happens in conjunction with a lump in the chest, and it can happen over time, or happen overnight.
This is often painless, and can sometimes happen unnoticed.
3. Changes in the nipple
A change in the shape, size, and texture of the nipple is another clear sign of breast cancer in men.
In 40-50% of the cases of male breast cancer, a change in the nipple is a common symptom. These include nipple retraction, inversion, redness, scaling, and even discharge.
4. Changes in the skin on the chest
In addition to changes in the breast and nipple area, changes in the skin of the chest are also another sign of breast cancer in men.
These changes include rashes, redness, and even edema or an accumulation of fluid. Ulcers or nodules near the nipple are also another sign of breast cancer in men.
5. Discharge coming from the nipple
This is another surprising symptom of breast cancer in men. This is a symptom that most men usually don't ignore, and this symptom usually triggers most men to visit their doctor since a discharge coming from a man's nipple usually means that there's something terribly wrong.
6. Breast pain
Breast pain may or may not be a symptom of breast cancer as there are numerous reasons as to why breast pain occurs.
Regardless, if you think that you're experiencing other symptoms along with breast pain, it would be best to visit the doctor to get it checked out as early as possible.
7. Bone pain
In men, breast cancer is usually diagnosed during the later stages. This means that it can be the case that cancer has already spread to other parts of the body when the cancer is diagnosed.
Bone pain is usually the most common symptom, and thus should never be ignored.
8. Swollen lymph nodes
Breast cancer can also spread to a man's lymph nodes. This means that sometimes by the time the cancer has been detected, the cancer has already spread to the lymph nodes along with the breast.
If you experience armpit pain or painful lumps near your armpits, then it's best to get it looked at.
Source: rd.com
READ: Breast cancer risks that you need to talk about with your doctor