Aims: Male breast cancer is rare and treatment recommendations are based on female breast cancer guidelines. We analyzed an Australian dataset of patients with early breast cancer (including ductal carcinoma in situ, DCIS) for demographic, pathological and treatment information. The primary objective was to compare treatment delivery for males versus females.
Methods: Australian data from the BreastSurgANZ Quality Audit (BQA) from 1 October 2006 and 30 September 2016 were analyzed. Demographic and pathological information was obtained and compared between males and females. Treatment recommendations were compared to BreastSurgANZ Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines to assess for adherence to national and international guidelines, respectively.
Results: A total of 99,768 breast cancer episodes were analyzed, comprising 585 males (544 invasive; 41 DCIS) and 99 183 (99.4%) females (85 596 invasive; 13 525 DCIS; 62 unknown). Compared with females, males were older at diagnosis, more likely to be hormone receptor-positive and lymph node-positive disease, and more likely to have mastectomy. The proportion of males undergoing breast conserving surgery receiving radiotherapy was the only BreastSurgANZ KPI that was not met. Males were less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy than females using NCCN guidelines.
Conclusion: Australian males with breast cancer account for 0.6% of breast cancer incidence and have similar clinico-pathological features as reported internationally. Overall, there is good compliance with the surgical KPIs, and adherence to NCCN guidelines for adjuvant systemic treatment is similar to previous international studies.
Keywords: NCCN guidelines; breast cancer; disparities in treatment; male breast cancer.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.