title: Treatment of invasive male breast cancer: a 40-year single-institution experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the management and outcome of invasive male breast cancer treated in a single-institution over a period of 40 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the clinical and pathological features of 60 male patients affected by breast carcinoma treated at our Radiotherapy Unit between 1971 and 2011. Tumours were classified according to histological type and the updated 2010 TNM classification of malignant tumours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At a median follow-up of 8.9 [range, 0.6-20; standard deviation (SD), 4.98] years, 32 patients (53.3%) were alive and 16 patients died (26.7%) due to disease progression and 12 (20%) due to other causes. At univariate analysis for overall survival, pathological tumour size (p=0.031), histological subtype (p=0.013) and nodal status (p=0.006) emerged as significant predictors of death. At multivariate analysis, independent death predictors were advanced pathological tumour size (p=0.016), positive nodal status (p=0.003) and invasive cribriform histological type (p=0.0003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In consideration of the rarity of the disease, many issues are still being debated, and future collaborative studies are required. However, our experience confirms the prognostic role of greater pathological tumour size and positive nodal status as unfavourable features for survival in male breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Critical Care, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. icro.meattini@unifi.it
authors.forename: Icro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Meattini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Livi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Franceschini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saieva
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scotti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Casella
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Criscenti
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zanna
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meacci
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gerlain
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Agresti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mangoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paiar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simontacchi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Greto
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cataliotti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome