Male breast neoplasia in association with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor therapy: a report of three cases

Male breast cancer is a rare condition with very poorly understood risk fac tors. We report three cases of men with malignant and pre-malignant breast disease who had all been prescribed selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor s (SSRIs) for depression. Concerns about an association between this group of drugs and breast cancer in women have been previously raised and experim ental evidence has suggested that these drugs could influence regulation of cellular proliferation acting through internal cellular messengers. Risk f actors for the development of breast cancer are likely to be multifactorial , possibly more so in women given the complex physiological changes that oc cur in the female breast. Whilst the cases we report are anecdotal and othe r risk factors may be present, we suggest that assessment of any possible c ontribution that SSRI therapy may make to the development of breast neoplas ia may be more easily assessed in a male population. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publ ishers Ltd.