ABSTRACT

Cancer of the male breast is an uncommon diagnosis, accounting for less than 0.1% of all malignancies in men and only 1% of total breast cancers (1). It is estimated that approximately 2000 new cases of male breast cancer are diagnosed and 400 deaths do occur from that disease each year in the United States. The first description of male breast cancer dates back to 3000 B.C. and can be found on the Edwin Smith Papyrus, the world’s earliest known medical document (2). In the 14th century, the English surgeon, John of Aderne, reported on a priest of Colstone with a slowly growing wound of the right nipple-an entity that is now recognized as Paget’s disease (3). It was not until 1927, however, that Wainwright reported an actual diagnosis of male breast cancer (4).