Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) in men — a systematic review

Abstract

Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a rare type of lymphoma, especially in men. Details of the clinical course are not well recognized, and a consensus on the treatment of PBL in male is not available. The objective of presenting this study was to find the most common presentation and the best treatment options for male PBL by collecting and analysing data of all reported cases published between 1985 and 2019. A comprehensive search in Google Scholar, Ovid Medline, PubMed, and Scopus databases for any case of PBL presenting in men between 1985 and 2019 was performed. Patient information such as age, diagnosis, type of treatment(s), time to follow-up and patient status were recorded. A total of 28 studies containing data of 34 male patients with PBL were included in this review. The mean age of patients was about 61 (range: 26–85) years. The mean tumour size was 46.05 ± 20.37 mm. The majority of cases were presented with a palpable breast mass (unilateral or bilateral). Nine patients (26.5%) had previous comorbidities. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma was the most common histologic diagnosis (85.3%). Treatment consisting of systematic therapy combined with radiotherapy showed benefit outcome. The results of the analysis showed that the response to different therapies was better in younger patients with PBL. It seems that systemic therapy combined with at least a 30 Gy dose of radiation has the best outcome in male patients with PBL. Considering limited data in each group of treatment modality, further follow-up studies in these patients are necessary.