Male breast cancer
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis

Due to lack of awareness, patients may present at an advanced stage with a unilateral painless breast mass, nipple retraction, redness or scaling of nipple, and axillary lymphadenopathy. The most common male breast cancer is due to invasive ductal carcinoma. Breast cancers in men are also more likely to be positive for estrogen receptor and negative for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
Diagnostic tests include breast examination, mammography, and biopsy. Treatment is dependent on stage of disease and typically includes removal of breast tissue, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy.
Codes
ICD10CM:C50.929 – Malignant neoplasm of unspecified site of unspecified male breast
SNOMEDCT:
372095001 – Malignant neoplasm of male breast
Look For
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Benign cysts
- Gynecomastia
- Pseudogynecomastia
- Fat necrosis
- Lymphadenopathy
- Hematoma
- Benign soft tissue tumors (eg, lipoma, angiolipoma, myofibroblastoma, leiomyoma)
- Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia
- Other malignancy (particularly metastasis, hematopoietic, tumors of the skin, liposarcoma)
- Seroma
- Infection (eg, bacterial abscess, granulomatous disease)
Best Tests
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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References
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Last Reviewed:03/27/2019
Last Updated:01/19/2022
Last Updated:01/19/2022