The biological markers and results of treatment in male breast cancer patients. The Cracow experience.

Male breast cancer is a rare form of carcinoma with an incidence rate of approximately 0.5-1% compared with cases of breast carcinoma as a whole. Male breast cancer reacts effectively to endocrine therapy because of a high frequency of hormone receptor expression.The aim of the present study was the assessment of correlations between stage, grade, expression of steroid receptors, basal/mesenchymal markers and proliferation index, as well as analysis of the impact of the above-mentioned parameters on overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in the group of 32 male breast cancer patients, treated at the Centre of Oncology in Cracow.We showed the significant positive correlation between MIB-1 LI and tumor stage, and hormone receptors (ER or PgR) immunonegativity, and expression of EGFR, vimentin (p<0.05) and P-cadherin (the last at statistical border). The presence of any of basal or masenchymal markers correlated with a more advanced tumor stage. Moreover tumors without vimentin expression were characterised by lower MIB-1 LI and were more frequently EGFR immunonegative.We found that hormone receptor negativity, vimentin immunopositivity and high MIB-1 LI are significant independent indicators of poor OS and DFS for male breast cancer patients (p<0.05).