Male Breast Cancer: A Rare Entity

Male breast carcinoma is a rare malignancy (<1% of all breast carcinomas, 0.2% of all male malignancies). Its common histopathological type is infiltrating carcinoma, not otherwise specified. Three male patients aged 56 (stage -IIIB), 64 (T4bN0M0) and 78 (T2N0MO) years presented with a breast lump within a year. Their hematological and biochemical parameters were within normal limits. Two of them had palpable regional lymph nodes. Male breast carcinoma occurs in older males as in our cases. Two cases showed infiltrating ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified on histopathological evaluation, and one showed special type with apocrine differentiation. Their two-year follow-up was uneventful after modified radical mastectomy and chemotherapy. Male breast carcinoma is associated with risk factors different from and overlapping with female breast carcinoma. Male breast carcinoma differs from female breast carcinoma on clinical presentation, biological behaviour and prognosis. Male breast carcinoma as a separate clinical entity with its own biological behaviour is manageable by surgery and chemotherapy. Keywords: female breast carcinoma; infiltrating carcinoma; male breast carcinoma.