Male Breast Cancer; A Review of Risk Factors and Clinical and Radiological Features

While male breast cancer (MBC) consists only 1% of all breast cancers in the United States, approximately 2000 men are diagnosed annually and the incidence seems to be slowly increasing. About 50% of men have axillary nodal metastasis at the time of diagnosis. A mean delay of 6 to 10 months occurs in the diagnosis of MBC, which leads to the progression of the disease before presentation. More than 40% of MBCs present with stage III/IV disease. Therefore, men with MBC have a worse prognosis compared with women. Additionally, as a result of the paucity of breast tissue in males, early chest wall spread occurs. Therefore, it seems that recognition of the symptoms and radiologic features of MBC can improve early detection, the prognosis and survival rate of the disease. A few researches focused on male breast cancer; however, there are many similarities with female breast cancer and some differences. The current study aimed to review the latest information on risk factors, clinical, and radiological features of MBC. © 2017. Multidisciplinary Cancer Investigation Submitted: 2 August 2017 Revised: 27 August 2017 Accepted: 20 September 2017 ePublished: 1 October 2017