title: Cancer of unknown primary ultimately diagnosed as male breast cancer: A rare case report.
abstract: Cancers of unknown primary (CUP) constitute a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for clinicians and a frequent cause of cancer-related mortality in Western countries. Immunohistochemistry assays are commonly used to identify the primary cancer, but fail in approximately one-third of cases. The identification of the possible origin of CUP is crucial, as it may help select the appropriate treatment options. We herein present the case of a 54-year-old male patient, who presented with lower back pain in June, 2013. Following a thorough investigation, the clinical and pathological findings could not identify the primary cancer, leading towards a misdiagnosis. Ultimately, microRNA testing of the resected spine lesion was able to identify the primary tumor as male breast cancer and allow for optimal treatment of the patient.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, 'Hygeia' Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rigakos
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, 'Hygeia' Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vakos
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, 'Hygeia' Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, 'Hygeia' Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vernadou
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, 'Hygeia' Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsimpidakis
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, 'Hygeia' Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dionysios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Papachristou
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medical Oncology, 'Hygeia' Hospital, 15123 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Razis
keywords: cancer of unknown primary; male breast cancer; microRNA profile