Synonyms
MBC
Definition
Male breast cancer (MBC)
Clinical Features
Incidence
Breast cancer in men is rare and accounts for 1% of all breast cancer diagnoses. In the UK, some 350 men are diagnosed annually with around 2470 in the USA. Data from cancer registries in the UK and USA suggests that the numbers of men receiving a breast cancer diagnosis has been rising gradually since the 1970s.
Age
Typically over 60, although all ages can be affected
Sex
Breast cancer is found predominantly in women, but it can also affect men. Breast cancer in men is around 100 times less common than it is in women.
Site
Breast tissue in men is typically situated directly behind the nipple.
Clinical presentation
A unilateral, firm, painless, or minimally tender mass behind or adjacent to nipple or in axilla; changes in appearance of the nipple, e.g., inversion; and nipple discharge or bleeding. Because breast cancer is perceived by the majority of general public as a gender-specific condition, men often...
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References and Further Reading
Humphries, M. P., Sundara Rajan, S., Honarpisheh, H., Cserni, G., Dent, J., Fulford, L., Jordan, L. B., Jones, J. L., Kanthan, R., Litwiniuk, M., et al. (2017). Characterisation of male breast cancer: A descriptive biomarker study from a large patient series. Scientific Reports, 7, 45293.
Johansson, I., Nilsson, C., Berglund, P., Lauss, M., Ringner, M., Olsson, H., Luts, L., Sim, E., Thorstensson, S., Fjallskog, M. L., et al. (2012). Gene expression profiling of primary male breast cancers reveals two unique subgroups and identifies N-acetyltransferase-1 (NAT1) as a novel prognostic biomarker. Breast Cancer Research, 14, R31.
Kornegoor, R., Verschuur-Maes, A. H., Buerger, H., & van Diest, P. J. (2012). The 3-layered ductal epithelium in gynecomastia. The American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 36, 762–768.
Lecarpentier, J., Silvestri, V., Kuchenbaecker, K. B., Barrowdale, D., Dennis, J., McGuffog, L., Soucy, P., Leslie, G., Rizzolo, P., Navazio, A. S., et al. (2017). Prediction of breast and prostate cancer risks in male BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers using polygenic risk scores. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 35, 2240–2250.
Orr, N., Lemnrau, A., Cooke, R., Fletcher, O., Tomczyk, K., Jones, M., Johnson, N., Lord, C. J., Mitsopoulos, C., Zvelebil, M., et al. (2012). Genome-wide association study identifies a common variant in RAD51B associated with male breast cancer risk. Nature Genetics, 44, 1182–1184.
Piscuoglio, S., Ng, C. K., Murray, M. P., Guerini-Rocco, E., Martelotto, L. G., Geyer, F. C., Bidard, F. C., Berman, S., Fusco, N., Sakr, R. A., et al. (2016). The genomic landscape of male breast cancers. Clinical Cancer Research, 22, 4045–4056.
Shaaban, A. M., Ball, G. R., Brannan, R. A., Cserni, G., Di Benedetto, A., Dent, J., Fulford, L., Honarpisheh, H., Jordan, L., Jones, J. L., et al. (2012). A comparative biomarker study of 514 matched cases of male and female breast cancer reveals gender-specific biological differences. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 133, 949–958.
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Speirs, V., Humphries, M.P., Shaaban, A.M. (2020). Male Breast Cancer. In: Sapino, A., Kulka, J. (eds) Breast Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62539-3_4764
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62539-3_4764
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