Treatment and survival of early non-metastatic breast cancer in men: real world data from a population-based registry.

AIM

This study aimed to characterize a cohort of male patients with non-metastatic breast cancer, specifically focusing on tumor characteristics, treatment strategies, and determinants of overall survival.

METHODS

Data for this study were obtained from the Baden-Württemberg Cancer Registry, encompassing male patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2015 and 2023. A total of 470 patient records were included. We described patient and tumor characteristics using descriptive statistics. Overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression models to identify significant determinants.

RESULTS

In our cohort of male patients with non-metastatic breast cancer, luminal subtype was the predominant tumor biology, accounting for 90% of cases. HER2-positive tumors were observed in 9% of patients, while triple-negative tumors were rare, with only four cases identified. Regarding tumor staging, 81.7% of patients were diagnosed at T1 or T2 stages. However, a substantial proportion (48.7%) presented with clinically involved lymph nodes, and 27.1% were diagnosed at UICC stage III. The five-year overall survival rate for the cohort was 73.7%. Treatment analysis revealed that 86% of patients underwent surgical intervention. Mastectomy combined with sentinel lymph node dissection was the most frequent surgical procedure, performed in 50.6% of cases. Adjuvant radiotherapy was administered to 72.8% of patients. Cox regression analysis identified age, nodal status, and surgical intervention as significant determinants of overall survival.