How Has Male Breast Cancer Changed Over the Past 15 years?

Male breast cancer: what’s changed in 15 years and how can you help continue to advance it?

Though much of the public’s attention rightly focuses on female breast cancer, male breast cancer (MBC) is real and slowly being recognized more often. In the United States today, roughly 2,700–2,800 men are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year; about 500–530 men die from the disease annually. Between 1990 and 2021 breast cancer in men have more than doubled according to a study by Clinical Breast Cancer. Despite improvements, some data suggest that men with breast cancer may have worse survival than women at comparable stages likely due to later diagnosis and less awareness.

Across Europe the numbers are small in absolute terms but similar in pattern: male cases represent about 1% of all breast cancers, with country-by-country counts varying (for example, the UK reports roughly 400 male cases per year). 

Treatment today largely mirrors women’s care but with some male specific adjustments.The majority of MBCs are hormone receptor positive; tamoxifen remains the backbone of endocrine therapy in men, is the best studied and most commonly recommended adjuvant endocrine therapy. Chemotherapy and HER2 targeted drugs are used when indicated (stage, HER2 status). In recent years, additional and more sophisticated therapies have broadened the treatment landscape:

• Aromatase inhibitors (like anastrozole, letrozole, or exemestane), often used together with LHRH (or GnRH) agonists in men, can be considered, especially in metastatic or recurrent disease. NCBI

• CDK4/6 inhibitors – such as palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib – are now sometimes combined with hormone therapy in men with advanced, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. American Cancer

• HER2 targeted therapies are also used when the cancer is HER2-positive: these include trastuzumab (Herceptin), pertuzumab, and lapatinib, as well as antibody-drug conjugates like ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). American Cancer

• For men with inherited BRCA mutations, PARP inhibitors such as olaparib and talazoparib have become important options, especially in metastatic, HER2-negative settings. American Cancer Society

• Immunotherapy: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now sometimes used in men, particularly for certain subtypes. For example, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) may be considered if the tumor is triple-negative or has other biomarkers. American Cancer

• Emerging targeted agents: A newly approved drug, inavolisib (brand name Itovebi), has shown promise for hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancers with a PIK3CA mutation. wikapedia

• Also under investigation in clinical trials is a novel CDK2 inhibitor, tegtociclib, being tested in combination with endocrine therapy for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. wikapedia

  
  

These advances give men with breast cancer more tailored and effective options than ever before, especially compared to 15 years ago, when treatment was more limited.

Genetic testing has become a game changer. Men with pathogenic BRCA (especially BRCA2) variants face considerably higher lifetime breast-cancer risk; identifying a BRCA mutation can affect surveillance and make patients eligible for targeted options. PARP inhibitors (e.g., olaparib, talazoparib) are now approved for germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative breast cancer in appropriate settings, expanding treatment choices compared with 15 years ago.

Fifteen years after HIS Breast Cancer Awareness was founded, awareness, testing, and treatment options for men with breast cancer are better than they were but because MBC remains rare, continued education, family support, and advocacy remain essential to ensuring men get timely diagnoses and access to modern therapies.

To ensure we can keep advancing awareness, education, and support for male breast cancer, we invite you to make a donation to HIS Breast Cancer Awareness. Your contribution directly helps men receive earlier diagnoses, better treatment information, and the support they deserve.

HIS Breast Cancer Awareness is a registered 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. HIS Breast Cancer Awareness acknowledges all donations by email or mail, with a tax receipt to the provided address.

If you have any questions regarding your donation, please email us info@hisbreastcancer.org