Male breast cancer: common biomarkers, clinicopathology, and outcomes in the west of Iran

Abstract

Background: Male breast cancer is a rare disease that accounts for less than 1% of all cancers in men and less than 1% of all diagnosed breast cancers. We retrospectively evaluated clinicopathologic features, treatment options, and overall survival in male breast cancer cases over 10 years (2012-2021).

Methods: In this descriptive-cross-sectional study, the men with a breast cancer patient information based on demographic characteristics, type of surgery performed, pathological characteristics of samples (including the type of tumor involving lymph nodes and its grade), distant metastasis, immunohistochemical markers as well as family history of cancer, number of chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions, use of anabolic drugs, and patient survival after surgery were recorded in the designed checklist.

Results: The results showed that the mean age of men with breast cancer was 56.14 ± 14.59. Invasive ductal carcinoma was diagnosed in 86.3% of patients. In addition, metastasis occurred in 23.5% of patients, and most metastases occurred in the liver and then in the bone marrow, respectively. The highest frequency was related to stage IIB, with a frequency of 29.4%. The overall survival rate of 1, 3, and 5 years for 51 cases was 96%, 91%, and 65%, respectively, with an average survival period of 96 months. There was a significant relationship between age, metastasis, and disease stage with the survival status of patients (P = 0.03).

Conclusions: In the present study, old age, higher stage, and metastasis in male breast cancer were associated with unfavorable survival.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Male; Prognostic factors; Survival.