No Mammograms for Men

That’s right. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researchers are not recommending mammograms to men even if they are showing breast symptoms including enlarged or painful breast tissue: a condition called gynecomastia (male breast).

According to Stephanie Hines, M.D., of Mayo’s Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic and Breast Cancer Program in Jacksonville, Florida:

“Mammography is being performed with increasing frequency in men with breast symptoms, but we found that breast cancer in men can be felt as a firm, discrete mass on a physical exam, or seen as changes in the skin or nipple.

Male breast cancer is exceedingly rare — fewer than 2,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with the condition annually.

But the problem is that there are no guidelines about the use of mammograms in male patients and few studies have been conducted to find out if they are helpful.”

Gynecomastia is a common condition which includes breast swelling, a tender mass or painful breast tissue caused by various things: including hormonal imbalance, use of certain medications, organ failure, and alcohol use.

This condition doesn’t necessarily mean breast cancer in males. Breast cancers are very rare in males.

Source: Science Daily

Straight From the Doc has a similar entry.