Survival Values of Iraqi Male Breast Cancer

Male breast cancer (mBC) is a rare disease, accounting for approximately 1% of all breast cancers. In Iraq, the mBC rate was 0.39% for all cancer types by 2022. This study aimed to estimate the survival rates and features of mBC in Iraq.

This was a retrospective survival study. Males with BC were treated between March 2020 and March 2024 at the Department of Radiation Oncology and Department of Medical Oncology. The following data were collected from the records: age, marital status, family history, body mass index, surgery type, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, recurrence and/or metastasis, period of follow-up, histological type, tumor size, tumor grade, tumor stage, estrogen and/or progesterone receptor expression, HER2 neu status, metastasis site, BC side, and lymph node positivity.

The mean age of the patients was (54.75 ±12.25). The majority (95.7%) of the patients were married, and only (17.4%) of patients presented with a positive family history. Most patients underwent surgery (21, 91.3%), chemotherapy (19, 86.4%), radiotherapy (13, 59.1%), and hormonal therapy (15, 68.2%). The mean follow-up was (30.73 ± 24.55) months. The majority (16, 88.9%) of the patients presented with positive PR and ER, and most (11, 64.7%) presented with negative HER-2. The lungs, bones, surgical beds, and multiple sites represented metastasis.

The mean age of Iraqi male breast cancer patients was in the upper middle age. Most patients presented with T2 N0 stage, ER/PR positivity, and Her2neu negative. Grade II right invasive ductal carcinoma was reported in half of the men. The median follow-up period was 30 months. Disease free survival (DFS) after full treatment was 75 months.