Men Can Get Breast Cancer too. Here’s What You Need to Know.
By Ryann Swift on October 6, 2025
In the ongoing battle to improve cancer outcomes, awareness matters. Breast cancer in women is a perfect example. Since 1989, breast cancer death rates have decreased by 44% due in part to increased awareness as well as better screening and early detection efforts, plus continually improving treatment options.
Yet awareness of breast cancer in men is lagging, which has led to a troubling trend: men typically die from breast cancer at a higher rate than women. The awareness gap is so great that many men aren’t even aware that it is possible to get breast cancer.
“Men have breasts, which means they can get breast cancer,” says Dr. Ali Mazloom, a radiation oncologist with HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress.
Dr. Mazloom notes that while breast cancer is often misperceived as a women’s disease, 1 in 726 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. That’s far fewer than in women, but still common enough that Dr. Mazloom routinely sees cases of male breast cancer at his clinic.
“I've treated many male breast cancer patients. They're usually at more advanced stages which means more aggressive treatment.”
Dr. Ali Mazloom,
radiation oncologist with HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress
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Advanced Cancer Care in Your Community from HCA Houston Healthcare
When facing a cancer diagnosis, patients shouldn't have to choose between receiving world-class treatment and staying close to home. That's why HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress Oncology is partnered with the Sarah Cannon Cancer Network, bringing nationally recognized cancer expertise directly to the community.
"The Sarah Cannon Cancer Network was formed to provide access to global oncology expertise at your local community hospital," explains Dr. Mazloom. The network, which originated in Nashville, Tennessee, has expanded across multiple states to connect cancer centers and ensure patients have access to cutting-edge treatments without the burden of long-distance travel.
sponsored by: HCA Houston Healthcare
This is why the awareness gap in men is such a problem. "Most men don't think they can develop breast cancer," Dr. Mazloom notes. "So, when they get a nodule on their breast or start having signs that can be attributed to breast cancer, like nipple discharge, they ignore it."
Delays in treatment can have serious consequences. By the time many men seek medical attention, their cancer has progressed to more advanced stages. "This has resulted in men having a worse survival outcome as compared to women when they get diagnosed with breast cancer," Dr. Mazloom explains, "not because biologically it's any more aggressive. It's because men let it go for longer."
The irony is heartbreaking: stage for stage, outcomes are the same. Men who get diagnosed at stage one have similar outcomes as women who get diagnosed as stage one, Dr. Mazloom clarifies. "But because men are getting diagnosed at a later stage, their outcomes are worse."
What Men Can Do
Dr. Mazloom emphasizes that men should be alert to these changes in their chest area:
• A new mass or lump on the breast
• Changes in the skin of the breast
• Skin dimpling
• Discharge from the breast
• Bleeding from the breast
A Message of Hope
Dr. Mazloom's message to men is clear and encouraging: "The most important thing is early detection. Men have breasts and can develop breast cancer. And if it's caught early, it's very curable."
The path forward isn't complicated—it's about awareness and action. Men need to know they can get breast cancer, understand what to look for, and feel empowered to seek help when something doesn't seem right.
"I would highly recommend that you get treatment, not just because you don't have to get as much treatment when you get diagnosed early on, but also because the cure rates are much higher," Dr. Mazloom emphasizes. "Both of those should make a person pay attention to an abnormality in their breast sooner and as soon as they notice that something's wrong, as opposed to waiting for it to grow."
HCA Houston Healthcare is dedicated to helping men in their breast cancer journey. For more information, visit HCAhoustonhealthcare.com.
While breast cancer is often misperceived as a women’s disease, 1 in 726 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Advanced Cancer Care in Your Community from HCA Houston Healthcare
Step 1
Knowing the symptoms of male breast cancer.
Step 2
Knowing the risk factors which mirror many of those for women:
• Age: The older you are, the higher your risk
• Genetic mutations: BRCA gene mutations affect both men and women
• Hormonal imbalances: Conditions that increase estrogen levels, such as Klinefelter
syndrome, cirrhosis, or obesity
• Family history: A strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer increases risk
"Just be aware of the fact that if you start noticing some changes in your breast, seek the attention of your doctor," he advises.
Step 3
Breaking down the stigma that surrounds male breast cancer.
"Because it's often thought of as only a female disease,” Dr. Mazloom says, “men tend to not want to get treatment when they notice an abnormality either, likely, because of the stigma of it not being attributed to men."
This stigma can persist even after diagnosis, which leads to guilt and shame that further decreases a man’s willingness for treatment. "I see the psychology of (men getting breast cancer) as being more upset that they got a cancer that's associated with women than getting cancer at all," he notes. But he's quick to remind patients—and all men—that this guilt is misplaced: "It's nothing they did wrong that caused them to get that cancer. It's just the biology of it."
The good news is that when caught early, male breast cancer treatment can be straightforward. "If it's at an early stage, you can essentially just get a mastectomy, remove that breast tissue and be done with it," Dr. Mazloom explains.
Unlike women, men typically need a full mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy because "the breast tissue is too small to get a lumpectomy." However, this doesn't require reconstructive surgery—most men simply heal with a scar.
For early-stage cases that haven't spread to lymph nodes, treatment might only require surgery followed by hormone therapy medication like tamoxifen. But when diagnosis is delayed, the treatment becomes more complex: "You need chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and even with all that, the survival outcomes are worse."
Step 4
Getting treatment early.
For patients dealing with male breast cancer—or any cancer diagnosis—this partnership means access to the same advanced technologies and treatment protocols found at major national cancer centers. "The technologies that we employ at our radiation center are the same technologies that you would get at a specialty cancer center," Dr. Mazloom notes. "We have the same linear accelerator, with the same onboard imaging technologies, essentially the same technologies as the ones that you get at any National Cancer Center."
This technological parity translates directly to patient outcomes. "Because the technologies are the same, the outcomes will be just as good in your local community hospital as at a nationally recognized center," Dr. Mazloom explains.
Dr. Mazloom emphasizes that men should be alert to these changes in their chest area:
While breast cancer is often misperceived as a women’s disease, 1 in 726 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.