Epidemiology and management of breast carcinoma in Egyptian males : experience of a single cancer institute

Abstract EN

Objective : to assess the epidemiological and clinico-pathological features, surgical and reconstructive techniques, adjuvant treatments and clinical outcome of breast carcinoma in males (BCM) at the Egyptian National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Patients and methods: Thirty-two males with breast carcinoma presented to NCI between January 2000 and December 2002.

They were evaluated by complete history, physical examination, laboratory and radiological investigations.

Results : median age was 59 years.

Left sided and retroareolar breast lumps were the commonest presentations.

Grade II tumors positive for hormone receptors were very common.

Stage I, II, III and IV disease were encountered in 6.2 %, 34.4 %, 34.4 % and 25.0 % of patients, respectively.

Curative surgery was done in 22 patients; they received adjuvant hormonal therapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 22, 16 and 10 patients, respectively.

Eight metastatic patients were treated with palliative measures.

Surgery was done in 25 patients; the most common procedure was modified radical mastectomy (40.6 %).

Primary closure was feasible in 17 patients (68 %), local flaps were needed in 4 cases (16 %), while myocutaneous flap was done in 3 cases (12 %).

The commonest complication was development of seroma (9 cases).

The overall survival (OS) at 5 years was 65.4 %.

The disease free survival (DFS) at 5 years was 53.9 %.

Stage and curative surgery significantly affected OS, while type of surgery was the only variable significantly affecting DFS.

Conclusion : male breast carcinoma occurs at older ages than females, usually in advanced stage.

This necessitates directing attention of males and awareness on the prevalence and risk factors for this disease.