A new Aberdeen University study found that male breast cancer diagnosis has risen continuously for the past 15 years.
A new Aberdeen University study found that male breast cancer diagnosis has risen continuously for the past 15 years.
According to the research male breast cancer in Scotland almost doubled between 1992 and 2017 reaching 1.3 cases per 100,000 men.
Lead of the research, professor Valeries Speirs said: “It is important to raise awareness in the general public that breast cancer doesn’t just affect women.”
She said: “We are living longer, and cancer is associated with ageing, so the rise may reflect this.”
She also said it’s hard to determine if this is “a real rise or just men becoming more aware and presenting with symptoms”. The study is important because it “emphasises the need for a better understanding of male breast cancer.”
Ms Speirs said: “We need to determine the risk factors of the disease so that improved prevention policies can be applied.? Going forward there may also be a call to design bespoke treatment for men so we can target molecules expressed by male breast cancer.”
Her study has been published on the The European Journal of Surgical Oncology and was partially funded by University of Aberdeen Development Trust and Arcadia Aberdeen STEM Summer Research Programme 2019. The work was also partially done with the help of two students from Michigan State University.