Male Breast Cancer—Review of Literature on a Rare Microscopic Variant (Oncocytic Carcinoma)

Abstract

Breast cancer is uncommon in males. Approximately 85% of male mammary carcinomas are of the infiltrating duct type. One of the uncommon subtypes is oncocytic carcinoma (OC). Oncocytic tumors may occur in several different anatomical sites such as meninges, choroid plexus, soft tissue, and gastrointestinal tract; they tend to affect more frequently the endocrine and glandular epithelia such as salivary gland and renal tubules that have high metabolic activity. At present, OC is a morphological entity, and there is no practical reason for including OC into everyday reports, since any significant clinical features are found. However, more cases of OC of the breast have to be studied in view of the fact that oncocytic tumors of colon, thyroid, and meninges seem to be resistant to radiation therapy, a finding that might be taken into consideration when planning the treatment in breast carcinomas.