Hormone Receptor Expression and Clinicopathologic Features in Male and Female Breast Cancer

Background: Male and female breast cancers were investigated for variation in the clinicopathologiccharacteristics and expression of steroid hormone receptors in the northeast of Iran. Materials and
Methods:Tumor specimens of 17 males and 338 females with breast cancer were collected at the hospitals of MashhadUniversity of Medical Sciences. Immunohistochemical expression of hormone receptors and clinicopathologicfeatures of breast cancer were compared between two groups.
Results: The mean age in men was 15 years higherthan women (p=0.000). Males and females were mainly in stage II and III respectively (p=0.007). Although morethan 60% of male and female patients were grade II, the respective figures for grade I and III were 25% and12.5% in men but 7.1% and 27.2% in women respectively (p=0.025). ER was significantly more positive in menagainst women; 82.3% versus 53.4% (p=0.016). The related measures for PR was 58.8% and 50.3%, respectively(p=0.424). Males also showed significantly more ER expression than postmenopausal females; 82.3% versus48.9% (p=0.010).
Conclusions: Breast cancer in males and females contrasted in age at diagnosis, histologicaltype, stage, grade and ER expression which emphasize they are separate diseases with different behaviors.