Analysis of Knowledge About Male Breast Cancer Among Patients at Tertiary Medical Center

Male breast cancer: a 32-year retrospective analysis in radiation therapy referral center in northern Iran

Background

Breast cancer commonly occurs in women, and male breast cancer makes up less than 1% of all cases of breast cancer. The limited prevalence of male breast cancer has led to decreased attention being paid to this condition, resulting in its diagnosis occurring at later ages and at more severe disease stages.

Objectives

This study evaluates the demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of male patients diagnosed with breast cancer who visited the northern region of Iran from 1992 to 2023.

Methods

This descriptive study reviewed data from 58 cases of male breast cancer between 1992 and 2023. The study aimed to examine and describe the information connected to these patients. The data were analyzed with SPSS.22 set at P value less than 0.05.

Results

The mean age of the patients examined was 62.10±13.40 years, while their mean BMI was 27.08±4.95. The study found no statistically significant correlation between BMI with stage and kinds of recurrence, including metastasis and local recurrence (P>0.05). The right and left breast involvement rates were equal (48.28%) in 28 cases, and 2 cases (3.40%) had bilateral involvement. The bone was the predominant site of metastasis, accounting for 69.23% of cases. The analysis revealed no significant correlation between stage and metastasis (P=1.000) or local recurrence (P=0.543). Most metastasis and all the local recurrence were observed in stages 3 and 4.

Conclusion

Male breast cancer mainly occurs in older age and is diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease. Therefore, it is recommended to inform men and develop suitable screening programs, especially in high-risk families.

Breast cancer mortality in Chinese women and men from 1990 to 2019: Analysis of trends in risk factors

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the relative risk of risk factor in male and female breast cancer (BC) deaths in China and analyzed the changing trends in BC mortality rates from 1990 to 2019.

METHODS

Open data from the Global Burden of Disease database from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed to assess the number of BC deaths and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) in China. The age-period-cohort model was employed to study age effects, period effects, cohort effects, as well as local drift and net drift of the data, determining the impact of changing risk factors on crude mortality rates and ASMR of BC.

RESULTS

In 2019, the number of BC deaths across all age groups in China increased by 130.38% compared to 1990, with an increase of 125.68% in females and 648.80% in males. The ASMR for BC and male BC increased in 2019, while female BC ASMR declined. Overall, alcohol consumption and smoking as risk factors contributed to increased mortality rates of BC with advancing age. Over the entire study period, the net drift of alcohol consumption in females for BC was 0.06% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.24% to 0.36%), while for smoking it was -0.64% (95% CI: -0.83% to -0.45%). For males, the net drift of alcohol consumption for BC was 6.75% (95% CI: 5.55% to 7.96%), and for smoking, it was 6.09% (95% CI: 2.66% to 9.64%).

CONCLUSION

Hence, improving awareness of BC-related risk factors and implementing prevention strategies are necessary to alleviate future BC burdens.

Survival Analysis of Male Patients with Brain Metastases at Initial Breast Cancer Diagnosis over the Last Decade

Breast cancer in men represents approximately 1% of all breast cancer diagnoses. Among all patients with breast cancer, approximately 30% will develop brain metastases. Over the past decade, there have been multiple advances in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer; however, long-term outcomes of this presentation in male patients are lacking. We evaluated male patients with de novo stage IV breast cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database from 2010 to 2019. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences between groups were compared using log rank tests. In total, 22 male patients with brain metastases at initial breast cancer diagnosis were included. Patients with HR-positive/HER2-negative tumors had the longest OS (median 13 months). Factors associated with shorter overall survival were advanced age, unmarried marital status, lower household income, and grade III disease, among others. Brain metastases remains an unmet medical need for patients with breast cancer; the development of new drugs may provide an improvement in overall survival for male patients in the future.

Male Breast Cancer: a Review on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survivorship

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Male breast cancer is a relatively uncommon and rare disease that is often managed based on evidence adopted from trials pertaining to female breast cancer due to low accrual rates or exclusion of males. This is despite the known differences in the biology and epidemiology of this condition. This review provides an update regarding the management and surveillance of male breast cancer.

RECENT FINDINGS

Men with breast cancer tend to undergo more extensive surgery in the breast and axilla. The outcomes of male breast cancer compared to a similar subtype of female breast cancer appear worse when matched for stage. Systemic therapies remain predominantly based on recommendations for female breast cancer, although tamoxifen is the more optimal endocrine therapy for men than women. Surveillance with mammograms is recommended for patients harboring a breast cancer susceptibility gene but is otherwise not advised for men who have undergone a mastectomy. Notably, the role of other imaging modalities, including ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, is minimal. Although the focus on survivorship care among men is low, it is abundantly clear that this is a stigmatizing diagnosis for men, and they suffer from long-term physical and psychological sequelae following a diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. In summary, providing more gender-inclusive care and advocating for increased representation of men in prospective breast cancer studies and clinical trials may help improve outcomes and provide enhanced support for this population.

Aggressive Male Breast Cancer-Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects Correlated with the Histopathological Examination: A Case Report and Literature Review

Breast cancer is often seen as a disease that occurs in women, but it can also appear in men in a very small percentage, below 1%. Men have a minimal amount of breast tissue compared to women, which has the potential to become malignant in a similar way to women, although much less frequently. A patient presented with advanced local invasion due to the low amount of breast tissue, with the tumor quickly invading the adjacent structures. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations have an extremely important role in the pathology of breast cancer. Given that male breast cancer is rare and there are not enough surgeons specializing in breast surgery in our country, there is a lack of experience in the management and early diagnosis of this type of cancer, which will be highlighted in this article.