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Carcinoma of the male breast

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Opinion statement

Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers in the United States. The low incidence of this disease prevents therapeutic questions from being addressed in prospective randomized trials. As such, treatment algorithms have generally been extrapolated from those used in female breast cancer. Similar to female breast cancer, lymph node involvement and the size of the primary tumor are the most important factors in predicting disease-free and overall survival [1·, 2]. Modified radical mastectomy remains the standard local therapeutic approach, with radiation therapy indicated for patients who have clinicopathologic features associated with a high risk for postmastectomy chest wall or lymph node recurrence. Similar to female breast cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy is indicated in the majority of men with breast cancer, specifically those with tumors larger than 1 cm or those with lymph node-positive disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Box 097, 77030, Houston, TX, USA

    Jennifer F. De Los Santos MD & Thomas A. Buchholz MD

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  1. Jennifer F. De Los Santos MD
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  2. Thomas A. Buchholz MD
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De Los Santos, J.F., Buchholz, T.A. Carcinoma of the male breast. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 1, 221–227 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-000-0033-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-000-0033-x

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