Highlights
- •Male patients form a significantly smaller subset of patients referred to breast imaging centers.
- •The vast majority of male breast diseases are benign, the most common being gynecomastia.
- •Male patients with average risk for breast cancer do not require routine breast screening.
- •Male patients are less likely to seek medical help for breast-related symptoms due to cultural and social barriers. Understanding men's perception and providing gender-specific, targeted patient education can help breach these barriers.
Abstract
Objective
To review breast imaging utilization and epidemiology of breast diseases in male patients
referred to our breast center.
Material and methods
A retrospective analysis of all male patients who underwent breast imaging at our
institution over a 10 year period (03/14/2008 to 03/13/2018) was performed. Patient
history, imaging findings, biopsy reports, surgical interventions and follow-up data
were reviewed.
Results
Over the 10 year period, 143 male patients (0.1% of referred breast center patients)
underwent breast imaging (versus 139,134 female patients). Mean age was 57.4 years
(SD 19.7, median 59, range 21–92 years). The most common indication for referral was
a palpable breast mass (98%). The most common diagnosis was gynecomastia (72%). Of
the 20 (14%) patients who underwent core biopsy; 1 (0.7%) had breast cancer and the
remaining 19 had benign pathologies. Follow-up imaging was recommended for 22 (15.4%)
patients, of whom 15 (68%) were lost to follow-up. Two patients under the age of 25 years
inadvertently underwent initial mammography instead of ultrasound.
Conclusion
The epidemiology of breast diseases in our male patient population mirrors that of
the general male population worldwide; with an overwhelming 99.3% cases falling into
benign category. Two-thirds of our male patients for whom short interval follow up
was recommended were lost to follow-up, signifying the need for a more proactive approach
in ensuring their compliance. It is important to increase awareness among referring
clinicians and general radiologists regarding male breast imaging recommendations
so that the appropriate imaging study is performed.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 15, 2020
Accepted:
November 11,
2020
Received in revised form:
November 4,
2020
Received:
July 26,
2020
Footnotes
☆This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
