Clinicopathologic characteristics of male breast cancer: a report of 21 cases in radiotherapy center of hamedan, iran.
BACKGROUND
Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancer in men and only around 1% of all diagnosed breast cancer. Despite a significant raise in the last 25 years, it still remains a rare disease.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective study from 2004-2011 with 21 male breast cancer patients. We aimed to analyze the epidemiologic data (age, personal and family history), tumor characteristics (size, histological type, location, TNM stage, receptors), surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and survival (relapse, follow up, death) who reffered to our center with breast cancer.


RESULTS
The median age was 49.2±14.2 years (range 30-83 years). A family history of breast cancer was noted in four cases. The main clinical complaint was a retroareolar mass in 85.7%of patients (n=18). Histologically, 85.7% (n=18)were invasive ductal carcinoma and 4.7% (n=1) had ductal carcinoma in situ and 9.4% (n=2) had mixed histology including invasive medullary and ductal carcinoma. Hormonal therapy was delivered to 16 cases (76.1%) due to ER or PR positivity. During median follow up of 30 months (3-84 month), distant metastases were evident in 4 cases (19%). During the follow-up period, only one patient died due to metastatic disease. The mean time to recurrence detection was 30 months.


CONCLUSIONS
The percentage of cases of male breast cancer is very low compared to breast cancer in females, explaining why very few investigations have been conducted in Iran. Limited coverage in the literature make gender-specific findings difficult so future research of this entity involving multi-institutional cooperation and longer follow up is essential to provide new insights about the biological and clinical factors of this rare cancer.
Mahdieh Diagnostic and Medical Center, Hamedan, Iran E-mail : kalaghchi@tums.ac.ir.
Abdolazim
A
Sedighi
Ehsan Akbari
EA
Hamed
Kamal
K
Mohammadian
Sepideh
S
Behnood
Bita
B
Kalaghchi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007492:Iran; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone