Fu Dingyi, Miao Haoquan, Wang Zhonglin, Yang Chuang
Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China; Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China.
Department of General Surgery, The Second People's Hospital of Lianyungang, Lianyungang 222006, China.
Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2025 Apr;208:104651. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2025.104651. Epub 2025 Feb 3.
Gynecomastia is the most common breast condition in men, while male breast cancer remains relatively rare. This review explores the potential relationship between gynecomastia and male breast cancer, with a focus on the roles of hormonal imbalances, genetic factors, and molecular mechanisms in the progression of these conditions. While it remains controversial whether gynecomastia is a precancerous lesion for male breast cancer, this review summarizes the roles of estrogen and androgen receptors, the regulation of aromatase expression, and mutations in key genes such as BRCA1/2. These insights point to possible pathways by which gynecomastia could transition into male breast cancer. Additionally, hormones such as prolactin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and leptin may play significant roles in this progression. We provide an overview of the current understanding and identify key areas for further research, emphasizing the need for large-scale prospective studies to determine the causal relationship between gynecomastia and male breast cancer.
男性乳腺增生是男性最常见的乳腺疾病，而男性乳腺癌仍然相对罕见。本综述探讨了男性乳腺增生与男性乳腺癌之间的潜在关系，重点关注激素失衡、遗传因素和分子机制在这些疾病进展中的作用。虽然男性乳腺增生是否为男性乳腺癌的癌前病变仍存在争议，但本综述总结了雌激素和雄激素受体的作用、芳香化酶表达的调节以及BRCA1/2等关键基因的突变。这些见解指出了男性乳腺增生可能转变为男性乳腺癌的潜在途径。此外，催乳素、胰岛素样生长因子-1和瘦素等激素可能在这一进展中发挥重要作用。我们概述了当前的认识，并确定了进一步研究的关键领域，强调需要进行大规模前瞻性研究以确定男性乳腺增生与男性乳腺癌之间的因果关系。
