BACKGROUND: Male breast cancer is rare, accounting for approximately 1% of all malignancies in men. The lack of awareness of this rare cancer results in delayed diagnosis and its aggressive behavior can result in poor prognosis. This report is of a case of locally advanced, high-grade breast cancer in a 59-year-old man who was reluctant to undergo diagnostic procedures, and describes the approach to clinical management.

CASE REPORT: A 59-year-old man presented with a large left breast mass with enlarged axillary lymph nodes. The patient had ignored the mass and declined all diagnostic procedures. After modifying the diagnostic workup and involving a psychiatrist, the patient agreed to undergo a modified radical mastectomy. Histopathology showed a high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma with lymph node metastasis. The breast cancer was triple-positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR). Adjuvant treatment included herceptin, tamoxifen, and radiation therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates the importance of raising public awareness of breast cancer in men, and to assess and overcome the factors leading to delay in accessing medical attention. In challenging cases, modifying the diagnostic workup and the treatment approach with the least deviation from the standard of care, including counseling may be required.

Keywords: Anxiety, Breast Neoplasms, Male, Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast, Genes, erbB-2, Mastectomy, Biopsy, Needle, Chemotherapy, Adjuvant, Follow-Up Studies, Immunohistochemistry, Lymph Nodes, Mastectomy, Radical, Radiotherapy, Adjuvant, Rare Diseases, tamoxifen