Not only women are at high risk of developing breast cancer, men too, a recent research revealed. Doctors are encouraging men to consider getting tested for genes that raise the risk of breast cancer, especially if they are related with women with such genes.

The study led by Dr. Mary B. Daly, M.D., PhD, senior president of the Family Risk Assessment at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia says the genes can be inherited from the father’s side of the family. Dr. Daly began her study after seeing breast cancer in several male patients who didn’t know they were at risk.

"Everyone thinks of breast and ovarian cancer and just assumes it's all women. They don't even realize these genes can be inherited from the father's side of the family," said Dr. Daly.

These men, carrying the gene responsible for cancer, also known as BRCA, face greater risks of developing breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic and skin cancer, according to the new research.

Dr. Daly is now trying to convince more fathers, sons and brothers of women with the genes to get tested, but “very few of them want to,” she said.

Like women, men can suffer mutations in the BRCA 1 and BRCA2 genes. A man carrying the BRCA 2 mutation faces a 7 percent risk of developing breast cancer in his lifetime, she says. The men carrying BRCA 1 mutation doubles a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer, having a 33 percent chance of developing the disease in his lifetime.

Dr. Daly based her study on analyzing 24 men close blood relatives of women who had tested positive for one of the genes. She discovered that 6 of the men said they were not given test results or had forgotten, 14 showed their concern mainly for their daughters and sisters so they had the test for their sake and 7 said they did not believe the test results increased their own risk for cancer. Only 5 could correctly identify their chance of being a mutation carrier.

"We try to reach out to the men in these families, particularly men who have little children. If they were to die without being tested, their children would grow up without that information" Daly said.

She also expressed her concern that men think of breast cancer as a “female issue” and are unaware of the fact that they can carry the gene and pass it on to their children.

"There's a stigma associated with men having breast cancer, because it's thought of as a female disease," Daly said.

Dr. Daly presented her findings Friday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas.

Breast cancer is the most common major cancer in the U.S. More than 178,000 new cases are expected this year, from which 40,000 will prove fatally. Speaking about men, about 2,030 cases are estimated this year, which mean 1 percent of all breast cancer cases, the American Cancer Society revealed. From these 2,030 cases, 450 will end in death.