MALE BREAST-CANCER - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY FROM A REGIONAL CANCER CENTER IN NORTHERN INDIA

Over a 7-year period from 1987 to 1993, 41 male breast cancer patients were seen in the breast cancer clinic of the Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) . Their mean age was 54.2 years; and duration of symptoms ranged from 1 to 84 months with a mean of 15.1 months. Breast Lump was the commone st presenting symptom. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was the commonest diagnostic procedure. The TNM stage distribution was stage I , 5; stage II, 13; stage III, 17; and stage IV, 6. Radical mastectomy (25/36) was the commonest surgical procedure. Locoregional radiotherap y was given in 15 patients. Thirty patients received systemic adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy or tamoxifen, or a combination of the two). Loc al or distant recurrence occurred in 8 patients (8/31, 28.3%). Actuari al overall and disease-free survival was 100% and 80.1% at 2 years and 91.7% and 66.7% at 4 years, respectively. On univariate analysis, axi llary lymph node status and age were found to affect disease-free surv ival significantly. Advanced stage of disease at presentation is commo n in Indian patients and will continue to influence treatment policies . Neoadjuvant chemotherapy needs to be evaluated for locally advanced tumors to improve outcome. Multicentric studies are necessary to defin e the relative roles of tamoxifen and chemotherapy for adjuvant treatm ent. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.