CANCER OF THE MALE BREAST PRESENTING AS AN AXILLARY MASS

The authors describe a 55-year-old man with an axillary mass. Physical examination of the breast was normal, and the patient had no risk fac tors for cancer of the male breast. A workup for other possible cancer s was normal. Excisional biopsy of the mass revealed metastatic adenoc arcinoma. The histology favored a primary breast cancer. The patient h ad a right modified radical mastectomy. The pathologic examination sho wed infiltrating ductal adenocarcinoma of the breast. Adjuvant therapy included combination chemotherapy followed by tamoxifen. Physicians m ust be aware of the differential diagnosis of an unknown primary cance r when it presents as an axillary mass.