CÂNCER DE MAMA MASCULINO ASSOCIADO AO AUMENTO DA OBESIDADE NO SÉCULO XXI

Resumo

Introduction: Male breast cancer is relatively rare compared to female breast cancer, which explains the limited number of studies on the subject. However, an increase in diagnoses in recent decades has generated greater visibility for the topic. Parallel to this, there is also a growing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the current population, demonstrating that it is one of the main public health problems of the 21st century. The increase in both diagnoses has raised questions about the degree of association between male breast cancer and obesity, with obesity being a risk factor. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate how the increase in obesity in the current population may affect the diagnosis of mal e breast cancer. Methods: This is a narrative literature review encompassing articles from 2015 to 2025 from the PubMed (MEDLINE) database. Of the 10 articles initially selected, 5 were used due to their greater relevance to the topic. The descriptors "Male breast cancer" and "Obesity" were used to select systematic reviews and observational studies. Results and discussion: studies have shown a consistent association between obesity and male breast cancer. Observational studies show a progressive increase i n risk related to increased body mass index (BMI), which is even more pronounced in central obesity, measured by abdominal circumference and the height-to- circumference ratio. In other words, abdominal circumference is more reliable when measuring breast cancer risk in men. Apparently, the mechanism behind this risk is related to increased estrogen levels resulting from androgen aromatization in adipose tissue. Obese men tend to have higher estrogen production and bioavailability, which favors the proliferation of breast cells, especially in tumors with positive hormone receptors, which represent the majority of cases. Another analysis that should be considered is the role of adipose tissue as an inflammatory mediator. Low-grade inflammation resulting from obesity and metabolic alterations such as insulin resistance contribute to a pro -tumor environment due to cellular stress. Thus, abdominal obesity potentiates these effects, since it is metabolically more reactive, justifying the increased risks. Interestingly, some studies have shown an increased risk for individuals with a low BMI; however, this finding has not yet been fully elucidated. Despite the limitations inherent in observational studies, the data reinforce obesity as an important risk factor for male breast cancer. Conclusion: Although studies related to male breast cancer are scarce, and those relating it to obesity are even rarer, it is possible to affirm that obesity is closely linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer in men, gene rating greater concern related to the increased incidence in the 21st century, in which obesity is a daily challenge.