The Differences between Male and Female Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a disease that develops in both men and women. While there are similarities in this disease between the two genders, there are also differences. It is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in women, second only to skin cancer, with associated immense socioeconomic ramifications. However, in men, breast cancer is rare. Is this disease biologically different in men and women? Or is it similar between the sexes with the same etiologic, prognostic, and clinical features? The data to date suggest that breast cancer in men is fundamentally identical to breast cancer in women with few exceptions. This chapter explores the classic features of breast cancer in both sexes, highlighting the differences and the similarities between them and what is as yet unknown. Despite the clear disparity in the incidence of breast cancer between the sexes, once it occurs in either a man or a woman its clinical presentation, pathologic appearance, response to treatment, and overall prognosis are not that different. Given that breast cancer in women is a prevalent disease and the second leading cause of cancer-related death, there is a great socioeconomic burden. This has led to extensive research into this disease. The risk factors, prognostic factors, and treatment algorithm have all been thoroughly explored, and clinicians have resources to draw on when treating their female patients. This is the major difference between the sexes. Breast cancer is a rarity in males; therefore, it is much less studied. Although there have been some emerging data in male breast cancer, most knowledge and treatment approaches for this disease in males come from the extrapolation of information about female patients with breast cancer.