• Signs and symptoms
• Treatment
• Diagnosis
• Gynaecomastia
• Should I follow a healthy lifestyle?
• Risk Factors
• • Established Risk Factors
  • Possible Risk Factors
  • Doubtful Risk Factors

Some doubtful risk factors receive a lot of media attention and many people often think that they increase the risk of breast cancer. Current scientific research suggests that these factors are not linked to the disease.

A few studies have investigated whether certain jobs are associated with a higher risk of breast cancer in men. These kinds of studies are very hard to do as male breast cancer is such a rare disease so it is difficult to find out if there are any common factors in the occupations of men who develop it. It can also be hard to measure or find out a person’s exposure to something, especially if it occurred many years previously.

Researchers have studied whether chemicals from petrol and vehicle exhaust fumes and electromagnetic fields (which are associated with electrical, radio and communication work) are linked to male breast cancer. Results from these studies don’t all agree and it is not currently possible to say whether working with exhaust fumes or electromagnetic fields can increase male breast cancer risk.

Gynaecomastia is a common condition in teenage boys and older men where breast tissue grows under the nipples. It is usually caused by an imbalance of hormones during puberty and old age and disappears after a few years. There is no good scientific evidence to suggest a link between gynaecomastia and male breast cancer risk.

For further information see the page on gynaecomastia.

           

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