Korean J Gastroenterol.  2012 Sep;60(3):182-185. 10.4166/kjg.2012.60.3.182.

A Case of Breast Cancer in a Male Patient with Cryptogenic Cirrhosis

• Shin SR
• Lee MS
• Park SH
• Choi JS
• Lee KM
• Kim JB
• Kim HS
• Kim JW

• KMID: 1389728
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4166/kjg.2012.60.3.182

Abstract

Breast cancer is a rare disease in men. We report a case of 53-year-old obese male, with known cryptogenic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, presenting a tender mass on left breast. He was diagnosed with invasive intraductal carcinoma, which was consistent with a sporadic lesion. On the basis of previous literatures, obesity can be regarded as a cause for breast cancer even in men. However, there has been inconsistent data about link between liver cirrhosis and male breast cancer, which can be due to heterogenity in the etiology of cirrhosis. Through this case, it can be postulated that the risk for male breast cancer may vary according to the etiology of cirrhosis.

Keyword

Breast cancer; Cirrhosis; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Hepatocellular carcinoma

MeSH Terms

Breast Neoplasms, Male/*etiology/secondary/ultrasonography
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis/pathology
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Liver Cirrhosis/complications/*diagnosis/pathology
Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis/pathology
Male
Middle Aged
Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism
Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Radiologic findings of the patient. (A) Computed tomography showed low attenuated lesion with spiculated margin in the left breast (white circle). (B) Ultrasonographic scanning shows lobular hypoechoic mass of 3.2 cm in size including calcification on the left subareolar area (white arrow).

• 

  Fig. 2 Microscpic image of H&E (×100). Invasive ductal carcinoma with prominent desmoplastic response and comedo necrosis was present (arrow). There was a lack of glandular differentiation.

• 

  Fig. 3 Representative immunohistochemical staining (×200). The tumor cells stained with brown color represented strong and diffuse positivity for estrogen receptor.

Reference

1. Jemal A, Siegel R, Xu J, Ward E. Cancer statistics, 2010. CA Cancer J Clin. 2010. 60:277–300.

2. D'Avanzo B, La Vecchia C. Risk factors for male breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1995. 71:1359–1362.

3. Giordano SH, Buzdar AU, Hortobagyi GN. Breast cancer in men. Ann Intern Med. 2002. 137:678–687.

4. Johnson KC, Pan S, Mao Y. Canadian Cancer Registries Epidemiology Research Group. Risk factors for male breast cancer in Canada, 1994-1998. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2002. 11:253–263.

5. Weiss JR, Moysich KB, Swede H. Epidemiology of male breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005. 14:20–26.

6. Starley BQ, Calcagno CJ, Harrison SA. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma: a weighty connection. Hepatology. 2010. 51:1820–1832.

7. Kenemans P, Verstraeten RA, Verheijen RH. Oncogenic pathways in hereditary and sporadic breast cancer. Maturitas. 2008. 61:141–150.

8. Yager JD, Davidson NE. Estrogen carcinogenesis in breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2006. 354:270–282.

9. Lenfant-Pejovic MH, Mlika-Cabanne N, Bouchardy C, Auquier A. Risk factors for male breast cancer: a Franco-Swiss case-control study. Int J Cancer. 1990. 45:661–665.

10. Liukkonen S, Saarto T, Mäenpää H, Sjöström-Mattson J. Male breast cancer: a survey at the Helsinki University Central Hospital during 1981-2006. Acta Oncol. 2010. 49:322–327.

11. Sørensen HT, Friis S, Olsen JH, et al. Risk of breast cancer in men with liver cirrhosis. Am J Gastroenterol. 1998. 93:231–233.

12. Mohan P, Ramakrishnan MK, Jayanthi V. Is liver cirrhosis a risk factor for breast cancer in men? J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2008. 17:483–484.

13. Brinton LA, Carreon JD, Gierach GL, McGlynn KA, Gridley G. Etiologic factors for male breast cancer in the U.S. Veterans Affairs medical care system database. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2010. 119:185–192.

14. Yoneda S, Yoshikawa M, Yamane Y, et al. Breast cancer developed in a male patient with liver cirrhosis bearing hepatocellular carcinoma. Am J Gastroenterol. 2000. 95:556–557.

15. Misra SP, Misra V, Dwivedi M. Cancer of the breast in a male cirrhotic: is there an association between the two? Am J Gastroenterol. 1996. 91:380–382.

16. Rubino A, Fissi S, Secreto G. Bilateral breast cancer in a male patient with hepatocellular carcinoma. A case report. Ann Ital Chir. 2008. 79:117–119.