screening and diagnosis of male breast cancer

Last reviewed 01/2018

There are no formal recommendations or guidelines on screening and diagnosis of male breast cancer (1).

screening

  • there is no practical role of mammographic screening of all men due to the low incidence in the general population

  • for individuals with an increased risk of developing breast cancer the following screening and surveillance are recommended:
    • monthly breast self-examination
    • semi-annual clinical breast examination
    • baseline mammography followed by annual mammography if gynecomastia and/or breast density seen on baseline (2)

 
diagnosis

  • mammography
    • useful in differentiating malignant breast disease form gynaecomastia
    • sensitivity and specificity of mammography for the diagnosis of MBC is  92% and 90%, respectively
  • ultrasound
    • shows an irregular hypoechoic solid mass
    • a complex cystic mass also is suspicious
    • should include the ipsilateral axilla and any abnormal nodes should be sampled by fine-needle aspiration or core biopsy (3)
  • ultrasound-guided core biopsy
    • only method to obtain a definitive diagnosis

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