Medical School Curriculum – Is Male Breast Cancer A Part of it?

Male breast cancer is rarely top of mind, and something that many are unfamiliar with. While fortunately, many will not ever know a man with breast cancer, there remains a notable number of men who will receive this diagnosis in their lifetime. And furthermore, an even larger population of friends, family, and healthcare providers alike who will be impacted by these men. Given this impact, it is essential that medical students clearly understand that breast cancer can occur in men as well as women. However, current medical education often provides limited coverage of this topic, leading to a persistent awareness gap. This issue has been highlighted by several institutions and organizations, including the Yale School of Medicine and the NIH.

The awareness gap surrounding male breast cancer is not solely the result of insufficient instruction. In many curricula, the topic is briefly mentioned, often limited to a short paragraph outlining its occurrence and the types of breast cancer most commonly diagnosed in men. Within the extensive volume of material medical students are required to learn, this limited coverage is easily overlooked. Compounding the issue is the lack of consistent, normalized language that includes male patients when discussing breast cancer. Medical training emphasizes “board-style vignette” thinking, in which students analyze patient histories, symptoms, and physical findings to determine a most likely diagnosis and management plan. Yet these scenarios overwhelmingly feature female patients when addressing breast cancer, reinforcing the misconception that the disease is almost exclusively female and contributing to persistent gaps in awareness.

Beyond exam preparation, it is easy for medical students to lose sight of the purpose behind the long hours of study: our future patients. These patients will not always conform to the patterns emphasized in “boardstyle vignette” training. Real clinical presentations rarely fit neatly into predefined categories of sex, age, or race, and conditions often deviate from the typical examples we study. As future physicians, we must be prepared to recognize and care for patients whose symptoms fall outside these familiar templates. Developing that ability requires being taught, and encouraged to look beyond standardized scenarios and appreciate the full spectrum of patient experiences.

That being said, are the majority of our breast cancer patients female? Yes. Are they sometimes male? Also, yes. And timely recognition of these cases is essential. For this to occur, medical students must understand that diseases do not always follow expected patterns. Early identification leads to earlier treatment and improved outcomes for male patients with breast cancer. Strengthening these outcomes begins with comprehensive, inclusive education during medical training.

Sources:

Faria EH, Kim D, Sisconetto RM, Cucio VFM, Dos Reis Ferreira PPG, Alves BSR, Mendonça ÍMM,

Oliveira MR, Vicente ALB, Alves JC, Abdalla DR. Analysis of Knowledge About Male

Breast Cancer Among Higher Education Male Students. Eur J Breast Health. 2021 Oct

4;17(4):333-340. doi: 10.4274/ejbh.galenos.2021.2021-4-6. PMID: 34651112; PMCID:

PMC8496119.

Yale School of Medicine. (2024, June 7). Making male breast cancer awareness A mission. Yale School of Medicine. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/making-male-breast-cancer-awareness-a-mission/