Abstract P4-18-05: Male breast cancer— infusing a little blue into the sea of pink

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare dominated by a sea of pink. Issues faced by men with this include delayed diagnosis, lack of male-specific information, stigma about having a disease and often under-treatment. MBC is often treated as a female breast cancer but differences between the two are starting to emerge. Men are often older at diagnosis and sometimes considered too old for more aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy. Drugs such as aromatase inhibitors may not be as effective in men as in women but are often prescribed. Drugs such as tamoxifen can cause side-effects such as weight gain, hot flushes, loss of libido and impotence. Support for patients with MBC is less advanced than that for female breast cancer. A Man9s Pink, a MBC advocacy organization, mission is to promote MBC awareness, increase early detection, optimize and increase the survival rates for men diagnosed with breast cancer. Male Breast Cancer: Taking Control (BC Publishing, Boyages, 2015) empowers patients to understand their diagnosis and treatment. Apart from incidence data, prognosis and treatment options, this talk will focus on how a website (www.malebreastcancer.ca) dedicated to MBC can help dismiss some of the myths and help overcome stigmata for men facing difficulties at diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Our goal is to promote awareness to assist with earlier diagnosis and treatment to improve survival rates and the journey for men in their battle with breast cancer. Citation Format: Wagner H, Boyages J. Male breast cancer— infusing a little blue into the sea of pink [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-18-05.