The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium^® (SABCS) shines a spotlight on even rare breast cancers, including male breast cancer. Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers in the United States. Men with breast cancer are often diagnosed at later stages of disease because of delayed diagnosis.

The Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance (MBCGA) is an active force during SABCS^®, sponsoring three merit awards, as well as grants for advocate and patient travel to the symposium. The MBCGA works to help educate men around the world about the disease, from how to do self-examinations to survivorship issues. The organization also works with clinicians, researchers, and industry to advocate for the inclusion of men in breast cancer clinical trial protocols and for increased research specifically on male breast cancer.

“Sometimes, even if a drug is approved for men with breast cancer, male patients are not included in clinical trials in large enough numbers to generate much data,” explained Cheri Ambrose, the Founder of MBCGA. “When therapies are approved in other countries, the governing bodies of those countries decide whether men will receive the therapies or not based on data specific to men from those same trials. So this is very important.”

A big part of Ambrose’s job is raising awareness in the general public about male breast cancer. Partially through her advocacy, the third week of October is now Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week in the United States. Efforts such as these help to reduce the stigma some men feel when diagnosed with breast cancer.

Similar but different

Although risk factors for breast cancer are not as well understood in men as women, family history of breast cancer and BRCA mutations appear to be some predisposing factors. Both the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Society of Clinical Oncology only recommend routine screening mammography for men of elevated risk.

“Women go to a gynecologist and get their clinical breast exam there annually,” Ambrose said. “Even though the lumps that men usually get are very evident with touch, it’s a very difficult thing for us to ask primary care physicians to perform these exams during annual physicals. So we have a self-exam card available on our website in nine languages.”

Breast self-examination cards for men will be available in both English and Spanish at the MBCGA booth in the SABCS 2025 Exhibition Hall.

Encouraging researchers

Ambrose uses her time at SABCS to network face-to-face with physicians and scientists specializing in male breast cancer. This year, three ambassadors from different parts of the United States, including one local to San Antonio, will join her at the booth in the SABCS Patient Advocacy Pavilion. Equally important to her is the time young investigators get with patients during the meeting.

“The fact that all of these researchers who come from around the world are able to meet some of our male survivors really puts a face to the work they are doing,” she said. “It’s almost like you can see their wheels spinning about how they could dig a little deeper into the science and really make their mark.”