Male breast cancer in Israel: selected epidemiological aspects

The 17-yr incidence of male breast cancer was analyzed from data of the Israel Cancer Registry for Jews and non-Jews, and for the Jewish subgroups of European/American-born and Asian/African-born. The 187 observed cases among Jewish males in Israel were compared with the 194 cases reported in the U.S. Third National Cancer Survey and with female breast cancer rates for the same period. Results show that the dependence of male breast cancer (MBC) on the female rate seems to exist in both countries. The disputed observation of a higher rate of MBC among Jews is supported by the higher rates of MBC in Israel than in the USA. Data on the laterality and histological features of MBC are presented. The series included eight cases among non-Jews (Arabs). The on going survey of the Israel Cancer Registry revealed four families in which both husband and wife had breast cancer and one family with breast cancer in both father and son.