Male breast carcinoma. II. A study of the total material reported to the Swedish Cancer Registry 1958-1967 with respect to treatment, prognostic factors and survival.

The complete material of male breast cancer, 166 cases, reported to the Swedish Cancer Registry in 1958-1967 is described and analyzed concerning different prognostic parameters, treatment methods and survival. Age at diagnosis, axillary lymph node status and tumour size all had significant prognostic importance in a multivariate analysis with axillary lymph node status as the strongest factor. Histologic malignancy grade was strongly correlated to axillary lymph node status and tumour size and thus to prognosis, but did not seem to be an independent prognostic factor. The primary treatment methods were quite heterogeneous and were obviously influenced by both age of the patient and clinical tumour status. No significant correlation was found between type of primary treatment and survival, but due to the retrospective nature of the study no definite conclusion could be drawn. Radical mastectomy seemed, however, to give fewer loco-regional recurrences than both modified radical mastectomy and simple mastectomy. Very few patients in the present series had received radiation therapy in adequate doses. The material gave some indications that orchiectomy might prolong survival in patients with recurrent or generalized disease.