Male Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Management

Male breast cancer is a rare malignancy, accounting for under 1% of all breast cancers and exhibiting an incidence of approximately 1 per 100 000 men annually. Rates vary globally, with higher figures in Western nations and lower rates in parts of Asia. Although aetiological factors overlap with those of female breast cancer—such as hormonal imbalances, obesity and age—genetic predisposition plays a more prominent role in men, notably mutations in BRCA2 and, to a lesser extent, CHEK2 or PALB2. Clinically, most tumours are oestrogen receptor-positive and present at a more advanced stage, partly due to low awareness and lack of screening. Standard management mirrors that of postmenopausal women and centres on radical surgery, typically mastectomy with axillary staging. Adjuvant systemic therapy includes endocrine agents (principally tamoxifen), chemotherapy and, in selected cases, targeted agents. Prognosis depends on stage, nodal status and hormone-receptor profile. Emerging approaches incorporate genomic profiling to personalise treatment and nomogram-based tools to refine survival predictions. Multidisciplinary care and heightened clinical vigilance are essential to improve early detection and optimise outcomes.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A large biomarker study assembled nearly 2 000 male breast cancers to define their clinicopathological landscape. Tumours were predominantly ductal, luminal A and oestrogen receptor-positive, with low HER2 expression. Advanced age and node positivity emerged as the strongest predictors of poorer survival, whereas co-expression of androgen receptor and the pioneer factor FOXA1 conferred a better prognosis. Network analysis revealed a functional interplay between oestrogen and androgen signalling, suggesting that androgen-receptor blockade could be explored therapeutically. This work solidifies the luminal A subtype as the principal phenotype in men and highlights potential targets for tailored interventions.

Male Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in male breast cancer epidemiology and management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Incidence rate: The number of new cases of disease per unit population over a specified period.

Oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive: Tumours that express receptors for oestrogen, indicating likely responsiveness to endocrine therapy.

Germline mutation: An inherited genetic alteration present in every cell, which may predispose to cancer.

Nomogram: A graphical predictive tool that combines multiple prognostic factors to estimate clinical outcomes.

Androgen receptor (AR): A nuclear hormone receptor that, when expressed in breast cancer, may influence tumour behaviour and treatment response.

References

1. An international comparison of male and female breast cancer incidence rates. International Journal of Cancer (2012).
2. Male breast carcinoma: increased awareness needed. Breast Cancer Research (2011).
3. Characterisation of male breast cancer: a descriptive biomarker study from a large patient series. Scientific Reports (2017).
4. Genomic profiling and comparative analysis of male versus female metastatic breast cancer across subtypes. Breast Cancer Research (2024).
5. Genetic Landscape of Male Breast Cancer. Cancers (2021).
6. Development and Validation of a Nomogram for Predicting Survival in Male Patients With Breast Cancer. Frontiers in Oncology (2019).