Systemic Therapy for Male Breast Cancer

Male breast cancer is a rare malignancy accounting for < 1% of all cancers in men and < 1% of all breast cancers. Most of the cases are advanced stage ductal invasive carcinomas and express hormone receptors in the great majority and are less likely to over-express HER2-neu. Treatment includes locoregional methods such as surgery and radiotherapy, and systemic treatment mainly with hormonal therapy and, to a lesser extent, trastuzumab and chemotherapy as second lines. Nonetheless, the optimal treatment for male breast cancer is not known due to lack of prospective randomized trials. In this review systemic therapy for male breast cancer is discussed in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, with insight into the treatment of advanced disease.