Reduce the risk of breast cancer

It may be surprising for you to know that men nowadays are also becoming increasingly susceptible to breast cancer. Therefore, it becomes important to understand the risk factors of male breast cancer, more so because men do not see any possibilities of acquiring this disease. As a result, breast cancer has a tendency to be more advanced in men than in women when first detected.

The risk of getting breast cancer increases in a man with growing age, high oestrogen levels, a strong family history of breast cancer or genetic alterations, lifestyle factors and having radiation therapy to the chest before the age of 30.When we talk of women, on the other hand, they have become quite knowledgeable about their risks of breast cancer. There may not be any proven way to completely prevent this disease, but there are definitely certain ways to cut down on the risk.

Besides incorporating changes in lifestyle, regular breast cancer screening is another way, which although cannot prevent the disease from occurring, can help diagnose breast cancer early so that it is easier to treat. Family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes play the role of a major risk factor at times. In such cases, there exist two kinds of surgery that can be performed to reduce the risk in a woman who has never been diagnosed with breast cancer, but is detected to be at very high risk of the disease.

The most common risk-reducing surgery is bilateral prophylactic mastectomy that may involve complete removal of both breasts, including the nipples, or may involve removal of as much breast tissue as possible, while leaving the nipples intact. Meanwhile, the bilateral prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes in pre-menopausal women can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women who have very high risk of acquiring the disease.

As a matter of fact, risk-reducing surgeries are not really considered an appropriate cancer prevention option for women who are not at the highest risk. For them, intake of certain prescribed drugs work well. It may not be possible to completely eliminate the risks, but it’s imperative to stay vigilant about breast cancer detection because those noticeable changes in your breast do call for your serious attention.

(The author is senior consultant, medical oncology, Action Cancer Hospital, New Delhi)