gery and also might include chemo- therapy and/or hormonal therapy, all of which can be painful and phys- ically draining. It also can be costly.


Risk factors A variety of factors can increase a man’s risk of developing breast can- cer, the most common being gyneco- mastia, a condition characterized by the swelling of breast tissue in boys and men. Most cases of gynecomas- tia are caused by an imbalance in the hormones estrogen and testoster- one, which can result from obesity, medication, or abnormal pituitary function, Sugarman notes. A family history of breast cancer also can increase a man’s risk. In fact,


58 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2016


one in five men with breast cancer have a close male or female relative with the disease, reports the American Cancer Society. Equally concerning is a muta- tion in the BRCA2 gene, which has a lifetime risk of about six in 100. BRCA1 mutations also can cause breast cancer in men, but the risk is much lower. A family history of cancer led Thibodeau to find out that he carried the BRCA2 mutation. Upon learning that Thibodeau’s mother and ma- ternal grandmother both had been treated for ovarian cancer and that his brother had passed away two years earlier from esophageal can- cer, his care team arranged for him to undergo genetic testing. It came back positive for BRCA2.


Gal Profesorsky of Cary, N.C., was diagnosed at age 42 with an early form of breast cancer known as ductal car- cinoma in situ. He also had lost several family members to various forms of cancer, including his 24-year-old sister and 61-year-old grandfather. “But until my diagnosis, I had no expectation of developing breast cancer,” he says. Other factors that increase the risk


of male breast cancer include radiation exposure to the chest, such as from treatment for other forms of cancer; liver disease; estrogen treatment, such as for prostate cancer; heavy alcohol consumption; and age. The majority of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in men between the ages of 60 and 70. “Breast cancer is very uncommon


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80