Treatment Outline For Male Breast Cancer

Male Breast Cancer is an atypical occurrence and acts in analogous ways to breast cancer among females, hence treatment of male breast cancer is generally in similar lines to that employed in case of female breast cancer and could involve a merger of treatments.

• Surgery

  In majority of the males, surgery is usually the foremost treatment option. But among males, the mere removal of the lump by lumpectomy is not possible due to the quite diminutive amount of breast tissue and due to the tumor site mostly found close to or underneath the nipple area. Majority of the men undergoing surgery require complete removal of the breast tissue and the nipple by the mastectomy procedure. A few or every one of the lymph nodes located in the armpit area could also be taken out.

• Hormonal therapy

  Oestrogen the female sex hormone is needed for the growth of majority of the breast cancers, though males have a miniscule amount that circulates in their body. Hormonal therapy is an effectual treatment in lowering the quantity of oestrogen present in the blood stream and is employed in an attempt to avert the cancer from relapsing subsequent to surgery. In case there has been a relapse of cancer subsequent to foremost surgery then hormonal therapy could additionally be employed for shrivelling the cancer.

• Tamoxifen

  The hormonal therapy that is widely utilised for the treatment of breast cancer. It functions by latching itself onto the oestrogen receptors present on the exterior of the malignant cells. This averts oestrogen entry within the cells and could impede the cells growth and division. Males are observed to have analogous side effects to that experienced by females that are on a course of Tamoxifen – like undergoing hot flashes, lowered libido. Males could additionally suffer from erectile dysfunction.

• Aromatase inhibitors

  Among males, oestrogen are manufactured due to the androgen – the male sex hormone being converted to oestrogen with the assistance of an enzyme known as aromatase. Aromatase inhibitors like the drug goserelin or Zoladex obstruct aromatase and hence hinder the oestrogen from forming.

• Chemotherapy

  Chemotherapy is the usage of cancer-combatant or cytotoxic drugs for destroying the cancer cells. It could be carried out subsequent to surgery in case doubts about an elevated risk of cancer metastasis are likely to the other areas of the body, prior to the removal of the cancer. Chemotherapy is generally offered in case cancer has been detected in the lymph nodes present in the armpits or in case cancer has metastasized further than the breast.

• Radiotherapy

  The cancer is treated utilising high-power beams for obliterating the cancerous cells. Radiotherapy could be utilised for reducing the likelihood of cancer relapsing at the wound location subsequent to surgery. Radiotherapy could additionally be employed for allaying pain or discomforting sensation occurring due to cancer that has metastasized to other body areas like the bones.

• Herceptin or Trastuzumab

  Herceptin is among the latest set of medicines known as monoclonal antibodies. The division and growth of few of the breast cells occurs due to a protein – the human epidermal growth factor fastening to the HER2 – another type of protein. Herceptin is believed to hinder this progression by latching itself on to HER2 protein to prevent the human epidermal growth factor from reaching the breast cancer cells.Herceptin solely functions among individuals that are having elevated HER2 levels that require undergoing testing to detect it. Nearly 1 among 5 breast cancer affecting females have sensitivity to Herceptin, however it is believed that lesser number of males have tumours which have sensitivity to Herceptin.

  Herceptin could be employed for the treatment of preliminary breast cancer or that form of breast cancer that has metastasized – a condition known as secondary breast cancer.