Costa Rica reports 70 male breast cancer deaths over five years

In Costa Rica, 70 men died from breast cancer over a five-year period between 2021 and 2025, according to government statistics reported by Infobae. While these men represent approximately 0.85% of the 8,237 total breast cancer deaths in the country during that timeframe, medical experts warn that the low frequency of the disease in men leads to dangerous delays in diagnosis.

Medical professionals, including Professor Yader Sandoval of Hispanoamericana University, note that men are frequently diagnosed in stages 2 through 4, whereas women are more often diagnosed in the earlier stages 0 or 1. This delay is largely attributed to the social stigma and misconception that breast cancer is exclusively a female disease. Dr. Marnie Ramos of the Costa Rican Social Security Agency added that because male patients are fewer in number, they often seek medical attention only after symptoms have significantly progressed.

Despite the late diagnosis, experts such as Dr. Catherine Rudy of the Mayo Clinic state that the prognosis and treatment methods for male breast cancer are the same as for women when detected at the same stage. Treatment typically involves surgical removal, sometimes combined with chemotherapy or radiation. Global statistics from Globocan indicate that in 2024, there were 2.43 million new breast cancer diagnoses worldwide, resulting in 693,660 deaths.