Genetic Risk Factors, Biology, Psychosocial Aspects, and Comparison between Male Breast Cancer and Female Breast Cancer
Objective: To review genetic risk factors, biological and psychosocial aspects of male breast cancer, and comparison between male and female breast cancer. Method: A systematic review of the literature between 1990 and 2013 was conducted to identify studies relevant to the objective. Searches were carried out on the database PubMed, by using the title term “Male Breast Cancer” (MBC). Results: Genetic risk factors for MBC are poorly understood. Family history is a definite risk factor. BRCA2 mutations are more frequent than BRCA1. Men with Klinefelter’s syndrome have a high risk of being affected by MBC. The majority of male breast cancers are hormone positive. Informative and psychological support for male breast cancer patients is poor. Diagnosis and treatment of MBC is similar to that of female patients. It is believed that prognosis of male patients is equal to that of age- and stage-matched women, but there is no consensus about this. Conclusion: Increased input is needed for informative and psychological support for MBC patients. Public education should be oriented toward men at higher risk to reduce symptom duration before diagnosis.
