'I thought only women got breast cancer': 70 men died of the disease in 5 years in Costa Rica

70 men died of breast cancer in Costa Rica over five years

Stereotypes about the disease delay diagnosis in male patients

Breast cancer is widely regarded as a disease that affects only women — but men can develop it too, and awareness remains dangerously low.

In Costa Rica, 70 male patients died of breast cancer over the past five years, Spanish-language outlet Infobae reported Monday (local time), according to Yonhap.

Government statistics show that 8,237 people in Costa Rica died of breast cancer between 2021 and 2025. Of those, 70 — about 0.85 percent — were men, an average of 14 male deaths per year.

Infobae noted that the stereotype of breast cancer as a women's disease frequently delays diagnosis in men. Women are often diagnosed at stage 0 or 1, while men are commonly not identified until stage 2 through 4. The later the diagnosis, the sharply lower the five-year survival rate.

Yader Sandoval, an obstetrics and gynecology professor at Universidad Hispanoamericana, said men can develop breast cancer and that ignorance of this fact leads to delayed diagnosis.

"If you feel a lump in your chest, you should see a doctor even if there is no pain," he added.

Experts also said that because breast cancer is rare in men and awareness is limited, changes in the chest are often mistaken for other causes. Marni Ramos, a doctor with Costa Rica's Social Security Fund, said male patients — whose numbers are far smaller than women's — frequently seek medical attention late, which in turn delays diagnosis.

Warning signs include lumps, skin changes and nipple abnormalities. That said, male breast cancer is neither more nor less aggressive than female breast cancer. Kathryn Ruddy, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, said the prognosis for men is not worse than for women when the cancer is at the same stage.

Treatment is also the same. Surgery is the primary approach, and chemotherapy and radiation may be added depending on the stage and cell differentiation.

According to Globocan, a global cancer statistics body, 2.43 million new breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2024 across both sexes. That year, 693,660 people died of the disease. Breast cancer ranks second among all cancer diagnoses and fourth as a cause of cancer death worldwide.

'Maintain a healthy weight, minimize exposure to endocrine disruptors'

In many cases, male breast cancer goes unexamined because it is dismissed as simple gynecomastia, or enlarged breast tissue in men.

The US National Institutes of Health says male breast cancer accounts for less than 1 percent of all breast cancer cases.

Because diagnosis is so often delayed, the cancer is frequently advanced by the time it is detected, and the average age at diagnosis is often in the 60s or 70s. Hormonal imbalances and mutations in the BRCA gene — which is involved in repairing damaged DNA and whose mutations are associated with elevated risks of breast and ovarian cancer — are believed to be contributing factors. Because of these causes, the disease can occur at any age.

Regarding prevention, Bucheon Sejong Hospital recommends maintaining a healthy body weight. Alcohol consumption should be limited, and underlying conditions affecting the liver, kidneys or other organs should be consistently managed and treated.

Minimizing exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals is also important. People should avoid, as much as possible, placing hot food in plastic containers or microwaving food in plastic.

Regular health checkups are also important, as hormonal and other changes occur with age. People should consult a specialist when needed and see a doctor immediately if they notice any changes in the breast.

yul@heraldcorp.com