Yes, men get breast cancer

I recently had a letter from a reader who says her 68-year-old father would like to know what his chances are for developing breast cancer since her great grandfather in Albania may have died of it. Because his family’s religious tradition discouraged autopsies, they’ll never know.

There does seem to be a family connection: Men who are related to breast-cancer victims are likely to have a higher risk of developing the disease. So, the reader’s father should be checked out by a doctor.

While not as common in men as in women, some 1,300 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed every year in men in the United States, and according to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, about 400 will die annually from the disease.

Also, although breast cancers can occur in younger men, it’s more likely to be seen in men in their 60s and older.