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Male breast cancer
1Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021.
Seminars in Surgical Oncology
|September 1, 1991
Summary
Male breast cancer is rare but managed similarly to female breast cancer, often involving mastectomy and hormonal therapies like tamoxifen for metastatic disease. Increased awareness can improve early detection and treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Urology
Background:
- Male breast cancer is a rare condition, accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases.
- Due to its rarity, male breast cancer is less extensively studied than female breast cancer.
- Management and evaluation protocols for male breast cancer closely mirror those used for female breast cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the current evaluation and management strategies for male breast cancer.
- To highlight the importance of increased awareness for earlier diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Primary surgical management for early-stage male breast cancer typically involves a modified radical mastectomy.
- First-line hormonal therapy for metastatic male breast cancer with positive estrogen receptors is tamoxifen.
- Second-line hormonal therapies include progestins or antiandrogen/LHRH analogs.
Main Results:
- Adjuvant systemic therapy recommendations for male breast cancer are not firmly established, but studies on female patients may be adaptable.
- Unfamiliarity with male breast cancer can lead to diagnostic and treatment delays.
Conclusions:
- Increased awareness of male breast cancer is crucial for earlier detection and timely treatment initiation.
- Earlier detection of male breast cancer offers a greater possibility for successful cure.