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Male breast cancer really does exist, and it’s just as serious as female breast cancer. It works the same way as female breast cancer, too: male breast cancer occurs when breast tissue cells begin to multiply abnormally, creating malignant tumors. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2010 approximately 1,970 men contracted breast cancer; 390 of those men died. Most cases of male breast cancer occur in men 60 and older, but men of any age can get the disease.

Don’t let embarrassment keep you from protecting yourself! If you think you may be at risk for male breast cancer, taking out a cancer insurance policy would be an excellent idea. CancerPlans.com provides supplemental policies from a wide variety of top-rated carriers, allowing you to quote and apply online for a policy that meets your needs.

Scientists don’t fully understand what causes male breast cancer, but they have identified a number of correlated risk factors. Here are a few of the most common:

Exposure to radiation. Radiation therapy for other diseases in the chest area (such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma) has been associated with male breast cancer.

Hyperestrogenism. Often an embarrassing problem for men, an abnormally high level of the female hormone estrogen can cause gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts) and sometimes breast cancer as well.

Genetic conditions. One of the most common inherited conditions contributing to male breast cancer risk is Klinefelter’s syndrome. Klinefelter’s, which affects about 1 in 1,000 men, adds an extra female X chromosome to a male’s genetic makeup, causing infertility, sparse hair and enlarged breasts. Klinefelter’s patients contract male breast cancer about 50 times more often than normal men do.

In addition, men whose female relatives have breast cancer often develop breast cancer themselves.

(1) http://www.medicinenet.com/male_breast_cancer/article.htm