Male breast disease: clinical, mammographic, and ultrasonographic features

To describe and quantitate the radiological (mammographic and ultrasonographic) characteristics of male breast disease and to report the clinical and pathological findings.

Two-hundred-thirty-six male patients with different male breast diseases, diagnosed at our institution between January 1990 and July 2001, were retrospectively evaluated. The history, physical examination, mammographic and ultrasonographic findings were analyzed.

The spectrum of the disease in 236 male patients were gynecomastia (n=206), primary breast carcinoma (n=14), fat necrosis (n=5), lipoma (n=3), subareolar abscess (n=2), epidermal inclusion cyst (n=1), sebaceous cyst (n=1), hematoma (n=1), myeloma (n=1), and metastatic carcinoma (n=2). The distribution of patterns of gynecomastia were; 34% (n=71) nodular, 35% (n=73) dendritic and 31% (n=62) diffuse glandular. Gynecomastia was unilateral in 55% (n=113) and bilateral in 45% (n=93) of the patients. Male breast cancer presented as a mass without microcalcifications in 86% (n=12) and with microcalcifications in 7% (n=1) of patients. The mass was obscured by gynecomastia, partially in two, totally in one patient. The location of the mass was retroareolar in 46% (n=6) and eccentric to the nipple in 54% (n=7) of patients. On ultrasonography (US), the contours were well-circumscribed in 20% (n=3) and irregular in 80% (n=12) of the masses.

Male breast has a wide spectrum of diseases, some of which have characteristic radiological appearances that can be correlated with their pathologic diagnosis. In the evaluation of the male breast, mammography and US are essential and should be performed along with physical examination.