Analysis of Knowledge About Male Breast Cancer Among Patients at Tertiary Medical Center

Abstract

In the overall population, the incidence of breast cancer in men is lower than in women. Men’s breast cancer awareness is affected both by the low incidence of breast cancer in men and by the presence of a perception that breast cancer can only be seen in women in society. This study aims to determine this awareness and guide future studies on improving social awareness. This study examined male and female patients aged 18 to 75 years who were admitted to our hospital’s general surgery outpatient clinic. A questionnaire containing questions about male breast cancer was administered to the patients, and the study was conducted face-to-face voluntarily. A total of 411 patients, 270 female and 141 male, participated in the study. The results showed that 61.1% of the participants were unaware of the possibility of breast cancer in men. Evaluation of the relationship between awareness and gender revealed that women were more knowledgeable than men ( p = .006). Educational status also had a significant influence on awareness ( p = .001). Awareness of male breast cancer in society is low. Raising public awareness of this issue will enable men to be diagnosed earlier, at a lower stage, and thus to better respond to treatment, increasing their survival time.

Aggressive Male Breast Cancer—Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects Correlated with the Histopathological Examination: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…Only 38.9% of the study participants knew that men can also develop BC. The study noted that women have a higher level of BC awareness than men [45]. An important role in the early detection of MBC is played by education campaigns and the introduction of breast screening programs, at least for men with a family history of BC.…”

Survival Analysis of Male Patients with Brain Metastases at Initial Breast Cancer Diagnosis over the Last Decade

“…This seems to be related to the lack of knowledge about this disease in the general population. One study including 411 patients performed by Altiner et al demonstrated that more than half of the participants (61.1%) were not aware of the possibility of this disease in men [ 41 ]. Raising awareness of this uncommon disease will enable men to be diagnosed earlier and possibly increase their survival time.…”

Breast cancer mortality in Chinese women and men from 1990 to 2019: Analysis of trends in risk factors

“…The latest research findings indicate that the relatively low social awareness of male BC may be a crucial contributing factor to the high mortality rate in males. Men often fail to receive timely detection and diagnosis during the early and less advanced stages of BC, thereby missing the opportunity for treatment to extend their lifespans 44 . This highlights the importance of not only focusing on female BC but also addressing the growing burden of male BC.…”