Racial Disparities Seen In Male Breast Cancer Survival

"Racial disparities in outcomes in women with breast cancer have been well studied," said Dawn L. Hershman, MD, MS, an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University and the study's senior author. "This study shows that similar racial disparities exist for men. While male breast cancer is rare, understanding the factors that black men and women with breast cancer have in common may help us understand the reasons for these disparities."

Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers and less than 1% of all cancers in men, but its incidence has been increasing, rising by about 60% between 1990 and 2000. In 2006, an estimated 1,700 new cases were diagnosed in the United States, and about 400 men died of the disease.

The study analyzed data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry, a National Cancer Institute-sponsored, population-based database that provides detailed information on cancer statistics.

"These findings support more investigation into the clinical and biologic factors that contribute to racial disparities in male breast cancer," Dr. Hershman said. "While many different factors are likely to be involved in the disparity, this study provides some clues that lower access to standard treatment may be an important cause."

 The results of the study are being published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. "Racial Disparities in Treatment and Survival of Male Breast Cancer." Katherine D. Crew, et al, Columbia University, New York, NY.