breast cancer in the male

Last edited 01/2022 and last reviewed 01/2022

Male breast cancer (MBC) accounts comprise about 1% of all breast cancers, world-wide. (1)

• in UK it is the 26th most common cancer and accounts for less than 1% of male cancer cases (2)

Although the disease remains rare, anecdotal evidence suggests that the rate of male breast cancer is on the rise (3).

• in UK
  • there were 48,788 new cases of breast cancer out of which less than 1% (371 cases) were males when compared to 48,417 women (female:male ratio of around 131:1) (2)
  • incidence of MBC is strongly related to age - between the years 2007-2009, around 65% of patients with MBC were aged 65 years and over
  • in Britain MBC incidence rates have changed very little since the late 1970s (2)
• in the USA the current incidence is 0.86-1.08 per 100 000 men and this figure has been  on the increase alongside that of women (3)
• among men with Klinefelter's syndrome, the incidence is comparable to that of women
• in a South Korean study the 5-year survival rate was 73.7% (4)
  • poor prognostic factors noted were age > 65 years, > 2 comorbidities, no surgical intervention, and no tamoxifen use (4)

Reference:

• (1) Gui, G. Male breast cancer: aetiology and clinical features. Trends in Urology & Men's Health 2012 ;3: 29–31
• (2) Cancer Research UK 2012. Breast cancer - UK incidence statistics.  
• (3) White J et al. Male breast carcinoma: increased awareness needed. Breast Cancer Res. 2011;13(5):219.
• (4) Park S, Hur H, Lee JS, Yoon J, Hur SM, Chung IY, Lee JW, Youn HJ, Oh SJ, Lim CW, Lee J. Prognostic Factors in Male Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Nationwide Study in South Korea by the Study of SMARTSHIP Group. J Breast Cancer. 2021 Dec;24(6):561-568. doi: 10.4048/jbc.2021.24.e54. PMID: 34979600