Male Breast Cancer: Therapy-Induced Toxicities, Psychological Distress, and Individual Patient Goals during Oncological Inpatient Rehabilitation

Abstract

Introduction: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare malignancy that accounts for less than 1% of all cancers in men and less than 1% of all breast cancers worldwide. Understandably, due to the low incidence of this rare cancer, there is a lack of prospective clinical data. The aim of this retrospective study was the analysis of therapy-induced toxicities as well as the assessment of psychological distress in the affected men during oncological inpatient rehabilitation. Methods: Fifty-one MBC patients were evaluated for the presence of treatment-induced side effects, toxicities, and psychological distress (using German version of the 11-stage NCCN distress thermometer; cut-off ≥5) during oncological indoor rehabilitation. The collected data were checked for correlation with sociodemographic and clinical factors (SPSS 22). Results: The mean age was 62.0 ± 10.6 years, in 96% a hormone-dependent breast tumor (ER+), and in over 75%, overweight or obesity (BMI >25/>30) was diagnosed. Most reported side effects included weakness/fatigue (74.5%), arthralgia after surgery/chemotherapy (43.1%), chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy (36.3%), and/or lymphedema (13.7%). Psychological distress was detected in 24 cases (47.0%; ≥5), in 13 cases even with significantly high levels (25.5%; ≥7). There was no correlation between psychological distress and clinical factors such as age, performed treatment (e.g., chemotherapy), or therapy-induced side effects (e.g., lymphedema) in our small collective. Conclusions: Psychological distress and somatic side effects are common in MBC. These data demonstrate the importance of routine screening for psychological distress and the high need for psycho-oncological therapy (regardless of gender) in multimodal oncological rehabilitation.