Male Breast Cancer: What is Different?

Male breast cancer is a rare disease. Symptoms and signs resemble breast cancer in women: A palpable mass, enlarged lymph nodes or skin changes (ulceration, secretion, peau d'orange) mandate mammography, ultrasound to assess the regional lymph nodes. The definitive diagnosis is made by biopsy. Men with breast cancer are treated along the same principles as women: resection followed by systemic and radiation therapy. Tamoxifen, not aromatase inhibitors, is the adjuvant therapy of choice for estrogen receptor positive tumors. Therapy of men with metastatic breast cancer follows the same principles as therapy of women.