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Similarities and differences in the characteristics and primary treatment of breast cancer in men and women - a population based study (Sweden)

Nilsson, Cecilia ; Holmqvist, Marit ; Bergkvist, Leif ; Hedenfalk, Ingrid LU orcid ; Lambe, Mats and Fjallskog, Marie-Louise (2011) In Acta Oncologica 50(7). p.1083-1088
Abstract
Purpose. Male breast cancer (MBC) is an uncommon disease. In the absence of randomized studies, current guidelines are mainly based on data on the management of female breast cancer (FBC). In light of concerns regarding the quality and extent of management in men, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether there are differences in tumor characteristics, treatment and outcome in male compared with FBC patients. Methods. Cohorts of male and female breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. All male patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1993 and 2007 were identified from the Regional Breast Cancer Register of the Uppsala-rebro Region in Sweden. To increase the power of the study and obtain comparable cohorts we... (More)
Purpose. Male breast cancer (MBC) is an uncommon disease. In the absence of randomized studies, current guidelines are mainly based on data on the management of female breast cancer (FBC). In light of concerns regarding the quality and extent of management in men, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether there are differences in tumor characteristics, treatment and outcome in male compared with FBC patients. Methods. Cohorts of male and female breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. All male patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1993 and 2007 were identified from the Regional Breast Cancer Register of the Uppsala-rebro Region in Sweden. To increase the power of the study and obtain comparable cohorts we sampled four FBC patients (n = 396) for each MBC patient (n = 99) with similar age at diagnosis and time of diagnosis. Results. No differences were seen in stage at diagnosis between MBC and FBC. Men underwent mastectomy more often than women (92% vs. 44%, p < 0.001). Radiotherapy was delivered less often to MBC than FBC (44% vs. 56%, p = 0.034), but radiotherapy given after mastectomy (44% vs. 39%, p = 0.47) did not differ between the groups. No differences were found regarding adjuvant chemotherapy (16% vs. 21%; p = 0.31) or adjuvant endocrine therapy (59% vs. 52%, p = 0.24). Both overall survival (41% vs. 55%, p = 0.001) and relative survival (74% vs. 88%, p = 0.015) were inferior in MBC compared to FBC. Conclusion. Concerns regarding less extensive treatment in MBC patients were not supported by this study. Although no differences in the stage of the disease or treatment intensity could be demonstrated, outcome was inferior in the male group. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Acta Oncologica
volume
50
issue
7
pages
1083 - 1088
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • wos:000294868000011
  • scopus:80052909569
  • pmid:21830994
ISSN
1651-226X
DOI
10.3109/0284186X.2011.602114
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f38e5d18-2c51-4937-9fb2-b1ca272f362f (old id 2183588)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:29:07
date last changed
2022-04-06 05:26:34
@article{f38e5d18-2c51-4937-9fb2-b1ca272f362f,
  abstract     = {{Purpose. Male breast cancer (MBC) is an uncommon disease. In the absence of randomized studies, current guidelines are mainly based on data on the management of female breast cancer (FBC). In light of concerns regarding the quality and extent of management in men, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether there are differences in tumor characteristics, treatment and outcome in male compared with FBC patients. Methods. Cohorts of male and female breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. All male patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1993 and 2007 were identified from the Regional Breast Cancer Register of the Uppsala-rebro Region in Sweden. To increase the power of the study and obtain comparable cohorts we sampled four FBC patients (n = 396) for each MBC patient (n = 99) with similar age at diagnosis and time of diagnosis. Results. No differences were seen in stage at diagnosis between MBC and FBC. Men underwent mastectomy more often than women (92% vs. 44%, p &lt; 0.001). Radiotherapy was delivered less often to MBC than FBC (44% vs. 56%, p = 0.034), but radiotherapy given after mastectomy (44% vs. 39%, p = 0.47) did not differ between the groups. No differences were found regarding adjuvant chemotherapy (16% vs. 21%; p = 0.31) or adjuvant endocrine therapy (59% vs. 52%, p = 0.24). Both overall survival (41% vs. 55%, p = 0.001) and relative survival (74% vs. 88%, p = 0.015) were inferior in MBC compared to FBC. Conclusion. Concerns regarding less extensive treatment in MBC patients were not supported by this study. Although no differences in the stage of the disease or treatment intensity could be demonstrated, outcome was inferior in the male group.}},
  author       = {{Nilsson, Cecilia and Holmqvist, Marit and Bergkvist, Leif and Hedenfalk, Ingrid and Lambe, Mats and Fjallskog, Marie-Louise}},
  issn         = {{1651-226X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{1083--1088}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Acta Oncologica}},
  title        = {{Similarities and differences in the characteristics and primary treatment of breast cancer in men and women - a population based study (Sweden)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0284186X.2011.602114}},
  doi          = {{10.3109/0284186X.2011.602114}},
  volume       = {{50}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}