What Are the Treatments for Male Breast Cancer?
Treatments for breast cancer in men and women are generally the same. Many men benefit from a combination of different treatments. Here’s an overview of the various approaches: • Surgery. The typical treatment for men is a mastectomy, in which the entire breast is removed. Breast-conserving surgery — in which just the tumor is taken out — isn’t usually possible for an obvious reason. Men don’t have much breast tissue to begin with. The surgeon will also take out one or more of the lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread. • Radiation Therapy. Treatment with radioactive rays or particles is standard after surgery. It’s used to help kill off any cancer cells that were missed. In some cases, radiation may be the main treatment. • Chemotherapy. This is treatment with drugs — either taken by mouth or by injection — that attack cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often used after surgery to lower the risk of the cancer coming back. For men with advanced cancer or cancer that has spread to o
