Sixteen cases of male breast cancer seen over a 20-year period were reviewed. The causes of cancer of the male breast are no better understood, but major alterations in hormonal environment could be a significant factor. Some clinical characteristics correspond well with the results of other series. The median age at presentation was 61.7 years. The most frequent initial symptom was a painless mass, and the incidences of nipple discharge, central tumor location, and axillary node involvement were high. Males also had a higher incidence of local advancement which was associated with a longer delay in seeking treatment and small breast tissue. The pathologic type was infiltrating ductal type in all cases except one, and all cases showed favorable nuclear grade. Estrogen receptor analysis was performed from the tumor of 2 patients. Both of them showed a high receptor level. There was no locoregional relapse in 5 patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy in contrast to the 2 relapses in 3 patients who underwent surgery alone. And three of the five patients who received radiotherapy suffered from systemic metastasis which suggested the important role of adjuvant chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy. In light of the encouraging results about adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment for female breast cancer with axillary lymph node involvement, it would be desirable to extend this policy to male breast cancer.
Adenocarcinoma/epidemiology ; Adult ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms/*epidemiology/pathology/therapy ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating/*epidemiology/pathology/therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Human ; Korea/epidemiology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Age ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary ; Retrospective Studies

patients (median age 49.6 years) were treated for primary gastrointestinal lymphoma between 1979 and 1989. There were twenty-three cases of gastric lymphoma and seventeen cases of intestinal lymphoma. Following surgery, seventeen patients received postoperative chemoradiotherapy (ACOP) by the sandwich technique, seven patients received postoperative radiotherapy, and sixteen patients did not receive any other form of adjuvant treatment. Nineteen patients were stage IE and twenty-one were stage IIE. Stage IE disease was more prevalent in the gastric lymphoma group than the intestinal lymphoma group (p less than 0.01). At a median follow-up of 17 months (1-102 + months), 17 of 19 stage IE patients and 15 of 21 stage IIE patients remained alive. The survival rate was 90% in the postoperative chemoradiotherapy group and 83.3% in the postoperative radiotherapy group at five years, and 42.7% in the surgery alone group at four years, which showed statistical significance (p less than 0.01, p less than 0.05, each). Statistically improved survival rates were achieved with a postoperative chemoradiotherapy modality in intestinal lymphoma (p less than 0.01), stage IIE (p less than 0.01), intermediate grade by NCI criteria (p less than 0.01), poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma (p less than 0.05), and diffuse histiocytic lymphoma (p less than 0.01) according to Rappaport classification, compared to those of the surgically treated only group. Three local relapses occurred in the operation alone group, and one in the adjuvant radiotherapy group which occurred simultaneously with distant lymph node recurrence. The pathologic stage of all of these relapsed patients was stage IIE-2. These results suggest that adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in completely resected localized gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can decrease local and systemic relapse resulting in long-term disease free survival and overall survival compared to operation alone.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/*therapeutic use ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Comparative Study ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/drug therapy/radiotherapy/surgery/*therapy ; Human ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/drug therapy/radiotherapy/surgery/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Age ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: In order to improve the proper use of radiotherapy and breast-conserving treatment (BCT) in the management of breast cancer, current status of breast cancer treatment in Korea was surveyed nationwide and the use of BCT were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients characteristics and treatment pattern of 1048 breast cancer patients from 27 institutions diagnosed between January, 1998 and June, 1998 were analyzed. The incidence of receiving BCT was analyzed according to the stage, age, geography, type of hospital, and the availability of radiotherapy facility. RESULTS: Radical mastectomy was performed in 64.8% of total patients and 26% of patients received breast- conserving surgery (BCS). The proportions of patients receiving BCT were 47.5% in stage 0, 54.4% in stage I, and 20.3% in stage II. Some of the patients (6.6% of stage I, 10.1% of stage II and 66.7% of stage III) not received radiotherapy after BCS. Only 45% of stage III patients received post-operative radiotherapy after radical mastectomy. The proportion of patients receiving BCT was different according to the geography and availability of radiotherapy facilities. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy was not fully used in the management of breast cancer, even in the patients received breast-conserving surgery. The proportion of the patients who received BCT was lower than the report of western countries. To improve the application of proper management of breast cancer, every efforts such as a training of physicians, public education, and improving accessibility of radiotherapy facilities should be done. The factors predicting receipt of BCT were accessibility of radiotherapy facility and geography. Also, periodic survey like current research is warranted.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Education ; Geography ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Mastectomy, Radical ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Radiotherapy