Risk Factors

As in women, a family history of breast cancer can increase a man's chances of developing this disease. This is especially true if there is also a family history of ovarian cancer. Men with such a family history may want to learn about genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, two genes that increase the chance of developing breast cancer in both women and men. Men who carry changes in these genes may also have a higher risk of developing prostate and pancreatic cancer.

Other factors that increase a man's chances of developing breast cancer include: 

• Aging
• Obesity and lack of exercise
• Having had hormonal treatment for prostate cancer that contained estrogen
• Radiation exposure
• Liver disease
• Klinefelter's syndrome, in which men have an extra X-chromosome.

August 2005