The Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Uche Nwokwu, has said that men with large breasts are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Nwokwu revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja.
He said that men undergoing hormone therapy to alter their body physiology to appear more feminine are also at elevated risk.
He explained that because men had breast tissue, they could develop breast cancer, although the condition was rare.
Confirming that such cases had been recorded in Nigeria, the NCCP coordinator emphasised the need for awareness.
According to him, breast development in men can be triggered by an increase in estrogen, the hormone responsible for breast growth, particularly when testosterone levels drop.
He said: “The hormone that women have that makes their breasts develop is also present in men. The difference is that testosterone, which is higher in men, suppresses that hormone; so when there’s an imbalance between the two, whichever is higher tends to manifest more.”
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