Pleomorphic Lobular Carcinoma of the Male Breast
Carcinoma of the male breast is a rare entity accounting for 0.7% of all breast cancers. Although the disease is also responsible for less than 1% of all malignancies in men, the incidence of male breast cancer has seen a rise of about 26% over the past quarter of a century. Risk factors similar to those observed for female breast cancers are responsible for pathogenesis. All histopathological variants seen in female breast cancer have been observed. Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common histological subtype accounting for approximately 85% of all cases. Male breast cancers are significantly more likely to exhibit hormone receptor expression in comparison to female breast cancers. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database shows that only 1.5% of male breast cancers are of the invasive lobular subtype while the same histological variant is responsible for approximately 12% of carcinomas of the female breast.
Herein we report the case of an elderly gentleman diagnosed with the pleomorphic variant of invasive lobular carcinoma along with involvement of the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes. Only three cases of this histopathological subtype have ever been reported in the male breast and none thus far had shown metastasis to the regional draining lymph nodes.
Background
Carcinoma of the male breast is a rare entity accounting for 0.7% of all breast cancers. Although the disease is also responsible for less than 1% of all malignancies in men, the incidence of male breast cancer has seen a rise of about 26% over the past quarter of a century. Risk factors similar to those observed for female breast cancers are responsible for pathogenesis. All histopathological variants seen in female breast cancer have been observed. Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common histological subtype accounting for approximately 85% of all cases. Male breast cancers are significantly more likely to exhibit hormone receptor expression in comparison to female breast cancers. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database shows that only 1.5% of male breast cancers are of the invasive lobular subtype while the same histological variant is responsible for approximately 12% of carcinomas of the female breast.
Herein we report the case of an elderly gentleman diagnosed with the pleomorphic variant of invasive lobular carcinoma along with involvement of the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes. Only three cases of this histopathological subtype have ever been reported in the male breast and none thus far had shown metastasis to the regional draining lymph nodes.