Pop Quiz: The reality of breast cancer in men

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Test your knowledge and be prepared to prevent and detect

Breast cancer awareness is generally directed at women, but it’s a disease that can affect men as well, albeit at a much lower rate of occurrence. Despite being less common, male breast cancer is a serious concern because it can be just like any other cancer: deadly. Since public knowledge and early detection are so vital to survival, it’s in your best interest to know the whole story when it comes to male breast cancer. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of breast cancer facts for men.

1. True or False? Breast cancer in men is considered a rare disease.

2. Which of the following is the greatest risk factor for increasing a man’s chance of getting breast cancer?

  1. Smoking and tobacco use
  2. Inactivity and lack of exercise
  3. Getting older
  4. High occurrences of auto-immune disorders
  5. None of the Above

3. True or False? Breast cancer in men tends to be more advanced upon diagnosis because men don’t self-check for symptoms of breast cancer, and they aren’t routinely screened for it.

4. Which of the following are additional factors that can increase a man’s risk of developing breast cancer?

  1. High estrogen levels
  2. Klinefelter Syndrome
  3. Family history of breast cancer in males
  4. Radiation exposure
  5. All of the Above

5. True or False? Breast cancer rates in men have risen 25 percent since the 1970s.

6. Which of the following are symptoms of breast cancer in men?

  1. A lump in the breast or enlarged lymph nodes under the arms
  2. Nipple pain or sores around the nipple area
  3. An inverted nipple
  4. Any discharge from the nipple
  5. All of the Above

7. Which of the following is thought to be the average amount of time between the development of male breast cancer and its diagnosis?

  1. Over half a year
  2. Exactly two months
  3. Under five years
  4. Approximately six months
  5. None of the Above

8. True or False? Enlarged breasts in males— called gynecomastia— is a symptom of breast cancer.

9. Which of the following are procedures that might be performed to test for breast cancer in men?

  1. Mammogram
  2. Ultrasound
  3. Nipple discharge examination
  4. Biopsy
  5. All of the above

10. Which of the following are treatment options that doctors will use to combat breast cancer in men?

  1. Surgery to remove the cancer and surrounding breast tissue
  2. Lymph Node surgery to detect and remove additional cancerous cells
  3. Radiation and/or Chemotherapy to kill cancerous cells
  4. Hormonal Therapy to target hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers, the kind of breast cancer usually found in men
  5. Targeted Therapy using medications
  6. All of the Above

Resource: Information provided by breastcancer.org.

ANSWERS:
Answer 1. True. According to data from breastcancer.org, less than one percent of breast cancer diagnoses occur in men; a man’s likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer in his lifetime is one in 1,000.
Answer 2. C) Getting older. Just like in women, the risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. According to breastcancer.org, the average age of men diagnosed with breast cancer is 68.
Answer 3. True. Since most men are unaware of male breast cancer, they are less likely to get medically screened or to notice signs or symptoms of the disease.
Answer 4. E) All of the Above. Those men with one or more risk factors should be on the lookout for symptoms of breast cancer and share their risk factors with their doctors.
Answer 5. True. According to breastcancer.org, from 1973 to 1988, breast cancer rates in men rose 25 percent. However, it is still unclear whether the increase is due to increased rates of the cancer or increased detection.
Answer 6. E) All of the Above. Any of the listed symptoms could indicate breast cancer in a man.
Answer 7. A) Over half a year. According to breastcancer.org, one study found that the average time between when the first symptom of male breast cancer appeared and when the cancer was medically diagnosed was 19 months.
Answer 8. False. Gynecomastia is NOT a sign of breast cancer. The condition can be caused by an array of issues, such as medications, drug or alcohol use, or weight gain.
Answer 9. E) All of the Above. Doctors will use a combination of tests to detect breast cancer and its severity to list on a patient’s pathology report.
Answer 10. F) All of the Above. Doctors will create a treatment plan that will likely include one or more treatments to combat male breast cancer.

CREDITS

by ERIKA ALDRICH

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