• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.243-246
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• 2012

Objective: While the relatively common nature of female breast cancer has resulted in a high level of general awareness, male breast cancer is still comparatively unknown to the general public and to healthcare professionals. The objective of this study is to explore the perceptions and opinions about male breast cancer and male breast self-examination among male university students. Methodology: In-depth interviews were conducted among 36 male university students from the Management and Science University, Malaysia, selected by simple random sampling. The themes of the interview were: knowledge of male breast cancer and male breast self-examination, sources of knowledge and attitudes towards male BSE. The data obtained were classified into various categories and analyzed manually. Results: The majority of participants mentioned that there is a low possibility for males to get breast cancer. They also believed that the cause of breast cancer among men is due to the carcinogens from cigarettes. The majority of participants mentioned that they know about breast self-examination from the mass media and that the presence of a lump in the breast is the main symptom of breast cancer in men. The majority of participants mentioned that they encourage their family members to practice breast self-examination but considered that BSE is not important for men because they have a low probability of getting breast cancer. Conclusions: Misconceptions regarding male breast cancer and breast self-examination among men still exist among male university students. Therefore especial attention should be given to educate men about male breast cancer and male BSE.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6673-6679
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• 2015

Background: Male breast cancer is a rare neoplasm, and its treatments are based on those of female breast cancer. This study aimed to analyze 20 years of male breast cancer clinical characteristics and treatment results from the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 16 male breast cancer patients treated in our tertiary hospital between 1994 and 2014 was performed. Epidemiologic data, tumor characteristics, and treatments were recorded and compared with 466 female breast cancer ((premenopausal; n = 230) + (postmenopausal n = 236)) patients. The 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates were calculated. Results: Male breast cancer constituted 0.1% of all malignant neoplasms in both sexes, 0.2% of all malignant neoplasms in males, and 0.7% of all breast cancers. The mean patient age in this study was $59.8{\pm}9.5$ (39-74) years. The mean time between first symptom and diagnosis was $32.4{\pm}5.3$ (3-60) months. Histology revealed infiltrative ductal carcinoma in 81.3% of patients. The most common detected molecular subtype was luminal A, in 12 (75%) patients. Estrogen receptor rate (93.8%) in male breast cancer patients was significantly higher than that in female breast cancer (70.8% in all females, p = 0.003; 68.2% in postmenopausal females, p = 0.002) patients. Most of the tumors (56.3%) were grade 2. Tumor stage was T4 in 50% of males. The majority (56.3%) of the patients were stage III at diagnosis. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endocrine-therapy were applied to 62.5%, 62.5%, 81.2% and 73.3%, respectively. Loco-regional failure did not occur in any of the cases. All recurrences were metastastic. The 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates in male breast cancer patients were 58% and 68%, respectively. Conclusions: Tumors found in male breast cancer patients were similar in size to tumors found in females, but they advanced to T4 stage more rapidly because of the lack of breast parenchymal tissues. The rate of estrogen receptor expression tended to be higher in male breast cancer patients than in female breast cancer patients. Metastasis is the most important problem in initially non-metastatic male breast cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7381-7383
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• 2013

Background: Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancer in men and only around 1% of all diagnosed breast cancer. Despite a significant raise in the last 25 years, it still remains a rare disease. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study from 2004-2011 with 21 male breast cancer patients. We aimed to analyze the epidemiologic data (age, personal and family history), tumor characteristics (size, histological type, location, TNM stage, receptors), surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and survival (relapse, follow up, death) who reffered to our center with breast cancer. Results: The median age was $49.2{\pm}14.2$ years (range 30-83 years). A family history of breast cancer was noted in four cases. The main clinical complaint was a retroareolar mass in 85.7%of patients (n=18). Histologically, 85.7% (n=18)were invasive ductal carcinoma and 4.7% (n=1) had ductal carcinoma in situ and 9.4% (n=2) had mixed histology including invasive medullary and ductal carcinoma. Hormonal therapy was delivered to 16 cases (76.1%) due to ER or PR positivity. During median follow up of 30 months (3-84 month), distant metastases were evident in 4 cases (19%). During the follow-up period, only one patient died due to metastatic disease. The mean time to recurrence detection was 30 months. Conclusions: The percentage of cases of male breast cancer is very low compared to breast cancer in females, explaining why very few investigations have been conducted in Iran. Limited coverage in the literature make gender-specific findings difficult so future research of this entity involving multi-institutional cooperation and longer follow up is essential to provide new insights about the biological and clinical factors of this rare cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2012

Male breast cancer is a very rare disease with an incidence of about 0.5-1% comparing with the one of female breast cancer but relatively little is known about its cause. Treatment strategies for breast cancer in males are derived from studies performed among females. The probable reasons behind the frequent, late diagnoses presented at stages III or IV might be the lack of awareness. The rarity of the disease precludes large prospective randomized clinical trials. This study reviews male breast cancer and its risk factors, recommendations for diagnosis and the management of patients with male breast cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1559-1563
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• 2015

Background: Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all cancers found in men. It usually presents at a later age and stage as compared to female breast cancer. Treatment strategies are extrapolated from the management of female breast cancer. Our study here looked at 18 patients diagnosed with and treated for male breast cancer at The Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan. We compared our findings with the existing data from Asian and Western countries. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted looking at patients with male breast cancer between January 1986 and December 2009. Patient and disease characteristics were analyzed and 5 year overall survival was calculated using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Results: The average age at diagnosis was 52 years (38-67 years). Twelve (66.7%) patients had axillary lymphadenopathy. Stage II disease was the most common stage at presentation (9 patients, 50%). Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was seen in 16 patients (88.8%). Seven lesions were positive for both estrogen and progesterone receptors. Sixteen patients had surgery in the form of either modified radical mastectomy or radical mastectomy. Radiation was used in 7 patients in an adjuvant setting. The five year overall survival for stage I, II, III and IV disease was 100% vs 78% vs 50% vs 0%( p<0.05). Five year overall survival was 61%. None of the other prognostic factors were statistically significant. Median follow up was 15 months (3-202 months). Conclusions: Male breast cancer may be on a slow rise but is still an uncommon disease. Tumor stage and lymph node status are important prognostic markers. Public awareness and screening may help in detecting the disease at an earlier stage. Prospective trials are needed to improve the management of this disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5681-5685
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• 2013

Background: To compare breast cancer incidence and mortality trends in Central Serbia between males and females in the period 1999-2009. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, mortality data were obtained from the National Statistics Institute and morbidity data were derived from Institute of Public Health of Serbia for the period of interest. Results: Breast cancer is a leading cancer in the female population of Central Serbia, whereas in male population it is not on the list of 10 leading localizations, concerning both incidence as well as mortality. In the period 1999-2009 the average standardized incidence rates of breast cancer were 60.5/100,000 in women and 1.4/100,000 in men, while average standardized mortality rates were 20.4/100,000 and 0.4/100,000. The average standardized incidence and mortality rates were about 45 times higher in females than males. Male breast cancer comprises approximately 2.1% of all breast cancer cases. The average age-specific mortality and incidence rates increased with age in both sexes. In the observed period standardized mortality rates of breast cancer increased significantly only in men ($y=0.320+0.0215{\times}$, p=0.044). Conclusions: The increase of breast cancer incidence in both sexes and mortality in men, indicate an urgent need for Serbian health professionals to apply existing cancer control and preventive measures. Male breast cancer is more present than in other world regions, with an outstanding increase of mortality, which demands a timely identification (screening) and adequate treatment. A national policy including mammography should be considered in the light of the newest findings.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8115-8119
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• 2014

Background: Breast cancer continues to be the most common type of cancer afflicting many women worldwide. Presently, educational campaigns and research target only women as if men have no role in the management of this disease. The study examined the willingness of male partners to assist in early female breast cancer detection as well as their awareness and knowledge levels. Materials and Methods: Using a semi-structured questionnaire, data was collected from 500 public servants within the Tamale Metropolis and analyzed in SPSS. Results: The level of awareness of breast cancer was very high (98.8%) but there was a low level of knowledge of breast cancer among the male population. Marital status and religion had no effect on attitude, but increasing educational status significantly increased knowledge and positive attitude towards breast cancer examination (${\chi}^2$=4.255, p=0.0391). The majority (92.0%) agreed that men can assist in early breast cancer detection and 96.2% were willing to be provided with breast examination skills. Conclusions: Although level of awareness on female breast cancers among the men was high, they generally lack knowledge of the disease. Majority of male partners want to assist in early breast cancer detection if provided with the necessary skills.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.5
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• pp.1096-1108
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• 2020

The most common cause of a palpable mass or asymmetry in male breast is gynecomastia; however, male breast cancer should not be overlooked as a cause, even though it is rare. It is important to know the anatomy and frequency of diseases that affect the male breast, and the differences compared to females, to make an accurate diagnosis and reduce unnecessary examinations and surgical procedures. This review aims to summarize the algorithm of breast exam in symptomatic men, gynecomastia, and breast cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.4
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• pp.830-845
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• 2022

The male breast is a non-functional and rudimentary organ, but similarly to the female breast, it can be affected by various diseases. In contrast to female breast cancer, male breast cancer has a low incidence, and there is no established breast cancer screening program for male patients. Therefore, the diagnostic evaluation is usually performed in male patients with symptoms such as palpability or pain in the breasts. Furthermore, most adult male patients who visit breast clinics sometimes present with not only breast symptoms but also axillary symptoms, and both the breast and axilla are usually examined during breast ultrasonography in daily clinical practice. The purpose of this pictorial essay was to present the sonographic features of various palpable breast and axillary lesions in adult male patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6773-6777
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• 2015

We used to LASSO-Cox method for determining prognostic factors of male breast cancer survival and showed the superiority of this method compared to Cox proportional hazard model in low sample size setting. In order to identify and estimate exactly the relative hazard of the most important factors effective for the survival duration of male breast cancer, the LASSO-Cox method has been used. Our data includes the information of male breast cancer patients in Fars province, south of Iran, from 1989 to 2008. Cox proportional hazard and LASSO-Cox models were fitted for 20 classified variables. To reduce the impact of missing data, the multiple imputation method was used 20 times through the Markov chain Mont Carlo method and the results were combined with Rubin's rules. In 50 patients, the age at diagnosis was 59.6 (SD=12.8) years with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 84 years and the mean of survival time was 62 months. Three, 5 and 10 year survival were 92%, 77% and 26%, respectively. Using the LASSO-Cox method led to eliminating 8 low effect variables and also decreased the standard error by 2.5 to 7 times. The relative efficiency of LASSO-Cox method compared with the Cox proportional hazard method was calculated as 22.39. The19 years follow of male breast cancer patients show that the age, having a history of alcohol use, nipple discharge, laterality, histological grade and duration of symptoms were the most important variables that have played an effective role in the patient's survival. In such situations, estimating the coefficients by LASSO-Cox method will be more efficient than the Cox's proportional hazard method.