Challenges of Diagnosing and Treating Male Breast Cancer: Radiation Oncology Case Studies

Challenges of Diagnosing and Treating Male Breast Cancer: Radiation Oncology Case Studies is organized by eRADIMAGING.

Release Date: 1/3/2022
Expiration Date: 1/3/2024

Course Description:
Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease that has become more prevalent over the past decade. Because MBC is so rare, most of the published information regarding the disease is extrapolated from female breast cancer data. It appears that males do not benefit from the advancements leading to earlier breast cancer diagnosis and improved cancer care in the same way females have in the last 10 years. Male patients are often misdiagnosed at initial presentation or imaging results are inconclusive. Although mammograms and sonograms are the standards for initial breast examination in both men and women, it may be possible that an alternative form of imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging could be more effective at diagnosing breast cancer in males in earlier stages. This article presents an overview of the epidemiology and etiology of MBC and uses 2 case studies to illustrate challenges in the initial diagnosis of MBC and the role of imaging and postoperative radiation therapy in breast cancer treatment.

Learning Objectives:
After reading this article, the participant should be better able to:
• Define the epidemiology and the cause of MBC.
• Discuss the significance of radiation therapy for patients with breast cancer after surgery.
• Examine the differences between the importance and difference of both estrogen progesterone receptor negative and positive tumors.
• Explain the differences between diagnostic and simulation tomography scans.