Breast cancer in men in black Africa: a report of 73 cases

Seventy-three Nigerian men with breast cancer seen over a 20-year period were studied to evaluate the pattern of the disease in one black African population. An annual incidence of 1.2 per 100,000 of the population was calculated; the proportion in relation to the disease incidence in women was 3.75%. Two-thirds of the patients were aged 50-65 years; the mean was 54.1 (SEM 2.3). Three patients linked their disease with trauma while seven had pre-existing gynaecomastia. More than 90% of the patients presented with advanced disease (stages III and IV), with bulky tumours (3.5-13.5 cm diameter), fixation to muscle (76.7%), skin involvement (65.6%) and nodal invasion (91.8%). Carcinomas of no special type (infiltrating ductal and undifferentiated cancers (76.7%)) dominated the histopathology, which included one case of lobular carcinoma.