Role of adjuvant chemotherapy in male breast cancer

Eleven consecutive male patients with operable Stage II (n = 7) or III (n = 4) breast cancer were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy after local therapy. Adjuvant therapy consisted of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin (Adriamycin, Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH), and cyclophosphamide (FAC) in ten patients and cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) in one patient. At a median follow-up time of 52 months, four patients experienced a relapse and seven patients were disease-free. Of those with recurrent disease, one patient died of metastatic breast cancer. These limited data suggest that adjuvant therapy reduced the risk of recurrence and favorably influenced the survival in this patient population. Adjuvant therapy should be considered in male patients with primary breast cancer.