Breast cancer in a 67-year-old male with liver cirrhosis: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Background Male breast cancer (MBC) distinctively is associated with late presentation, high recurrence and metastasis rates, and poor prognosis. Case presentation Herein the case of a 67-year-old male with breast cancer (BC) is presented. The patient presented with a history of 3 months of a painful left breast. Clinically, the patient was ill appearing with cut marks around the left breast and nipple retraction. Ultrasound of the left breast showed a hypoechoic mass with ill-defined margins. The lesion was cytomorphologically found to be ductal carcinoma of breast. He died of ruptured esophageal varices due to decompensated alcoholic liver cirrhosis before adjuvant endocrine therapy and further cirrhosis-related care could be started. Conclusion There is a significant low level of awareness and knowledge towards MBC among males in developing countries even though the reported incidence is higher than developed nations. Majority of men in such countries are not aware of the fact that men are also at a risk of developing BC. Increasing awareness and knowledge of association of liver cirrhosis with MBC among alcoholic men is essential to help early detection and improved outcomes in patients with MBC.