Breast cancer risk awareness for men and transgender women

Medical experts and health organizations are highlighting the importance of recognizing breast cancer symptoms in populations often overlooked, specifically men and transgender women. While breast cancer is most common in cisgender women, health authorities such as the German Cancer Research Center warn that men and transgender women may neglect warning signs like breast nodules, nipple changes, or swollen lymph nodes because they do not associate the disease with their gender.

In Costa Rica, the National Tumor Registry reported 83 male breast cancer cases between 2017 and 2023, representing approximately 1% of the country's cases, a figure consistent with World Health Organization estimates. In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute recorded 770 new cases in men in 2023, compared to roughly 75,000 in women.

Risk factors for all genders include genetic mutations (such as BRCA2), hormonal imbalances, obesity, and high alcohol consumption. For women, specialists emphasize that early detection through regular self-examinations and mammograms is critical, noting that over 75% of women diagnosed do not have a family history of the disease.