Carcinoma of the male breast in West Africans and a review of world literature.

Twelve West African men with carcinoma of the breast were treated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital over a ten-year period, 1971-1980. These cases represent 2.4% of both male and female breast carcinomas treated at the hospital. The mean age was 56.3 years. The left breast was involved 11 times more often than the right. There were no other associated malignancies. Tumor was preceded by gynecomastia in 22% of the cases. Neither trauma, estrogen therapy, nor irradiation appeared to be etiologic factors. The majority of the lesions were advanced. Simple or extended simple mastectomy followed by external radiotherapy was the treatment of choice. There were long delays before patients sought help at a hospital. This was in part because local remedies were tried before resorting to a hospital. The five-year survival rate was 22.2%. The advanced stage of the tumor before surgery rather than race accounted for the low survival rate.