title: [Three men with breast cancer].
abstract: In three men, aged 81, 66 and 58 years, breast cancer was diagnosed. All three were treated by modified radical mastectomy and axillary-node dissection. They received tamoxifen and the first and the third patient also received radiotherapy. Presentation of these patients is usually delayed, because of the rarity of and unfamiliarity with the disease. Consequently, the disease is often in a more advanced stage at presentation and overall mortality is higher in comparison with women with breast cancer. However, survival of male patients is similar to survival of female patients when matched for age and stage. This stresses the importance of a timely diagnosis. As in women, of the known risk factors for male breast cancer, a positive family history is one of the most important ones. Modified radical mastectomy, combined with sentinel-node biopsy by experienced teams, is the standard treatment. Criteria for adjuvant systemic treatment are identical for men and women, although hormonal therapy (tamoxifen) has a more prominent place in the adjuvant setting because of the high percentage of positive hormone receptors in men.
authors.affiliation: Sint Lucas Andreas Ziekenhuis, afd. Chirurgie, Jan Tooropstraat 164, 1006 AE Amsterdam.
authors.forename: E A G
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bergs
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tanis
authors.forename: E Ph
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Steller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001365:Axilla; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical; D008875:Middle Aged; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D013629:Tamoxifen