An update on male breast cancer and future directions for research and treatment.

Male breast cancer is a rare disease for which treatment has been based on the evidence available from female breast cancer. The new genomic tools can better characterize the biology of breast cancer. It is hoping that these will help to clarify possible differences of breast cancer behaviour in male patients, which will have a major impact on treatment strategies and on the conduct of clinical trials in this setting. In this review we will summarize available information on epidemiology, risk factors for breast cancer in men, the new insights of the biology of this disease, current recommendations for treatment and insights for future research.