Postoperative radiotherapy in the treatment of male breast carcinoma: a single institute experience.
BACKGROUND
To evaluate the outcomes of radiation therapy treatment of male patients with breast cancer in our single institutional cohort and discover possible adverse prognostic factors.


METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated 42 male patients (median age 55; range 33-77 years) with breast cancer. Patients were irradiated postoperatively in 2 Gy/fraction/day to chest wall +/- lymphatics.


RESULTS
Median follow-up was 29 months. Eleven patients had neoadjuvant and 36 patients had adjuvant Adriamycin-based chemotherapy. Nine patients (21%) had local or regional, two (5%) had distant, and one (2.5%) had both local and distant disease at the time of analysis. The actuarial five-year Overall Survival (OS) was 77%, whereas the actuarial five-year Disease-Free (DFS), Locoregional Recurrence-free (LRRFS), and Distant Metastases-Free (DMFS) survival rates were 45%, 69% and 66%, respectively. Univariate analysis of variables, including patient characteristics, treatment modalities and factors, and tumor characteristics, failed to show an association with LRRFS and DFS except percent positive nodal involvement > or = 30% and 50%.


CONCLUSIONS
Though radiotherapy seems quite effective in reducing local recurrence, we have revealed that male breast cancer patients in our cohort with extensive nodal involvement (PPNI >30% and 50%) appeared not to have had a significant benefit from postmastectomy irradiation and adjuvant CMF-based chemotherapy.
Atahan
Lale
L
Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Yildiz
Ferah
F
Selek
Ugur
U
Sari
Sait
S
Gurkaynak
Murat
M
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D044584:Carcinoma, Ductal / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies