The male breast is subject to almost all the lesions that are seen in the female beast, However, by comparison, the incidence of breast lesions in men is very low. The explanation for this low incidence may be that the male breast does not undergo the cyclic physiologic stimuli that the female breast undergoes during menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation.

OVERVIEW OF COMMON LESIONS IN THE MALE BREAST

Anatomically and histologically, the male breast is similar to that of a prepubertal girl. It has ducts, but lacks lobules. Fibroadenomas and cysts – lesions that originate in the lobules – are therefore not seen in men. On the other hand, ducts being the main component of the male breast, ductal lesions are more common. The ductal lesions are gynecomastia, ductal papilloma, ductal carcinoma, and infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Because breast examination in men is usually neglected, and because screening mammography is simply not done on the male population, breast carcinoma is usually more advanced in men than in women when it is diagnosed.

Papillomas of the male breast are usually reported as papillary cystadenomas. As in women, papillomas in men are usually found in the major ducts, and nipple discharge is the most common clinical manifestation.

The malignant lesions most commonly found in the male breast are (in order of frequency) cystic papillary carcinoma, infiltrating duct carcinoma, and ductal carcinoma.