Breast Cancer in Men: A Systematic Review of the Literature from the Arab World

Abstract

Introduction: Breast Cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer worldwide accounting for 11.7% of all cancers but only for 1% of men's cancers; therefore, men's breast cancer is rarely discussed, especially in the Arab World. This review, the first of its kind in the region, aims at reporting current trends in the epidemiology of BC in men, based on studies from the Arab region.Material and methods: An electronic search of the MEDLINE-PubMed database was conducted until February 2022. Original articles on the epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of men's BC were found and only 25met the selection criteria.Results: Male BC varies in the Arab world from less than 1% in some countries, to 4% in others. The mean age at diagnosis is 59.4 years and the majority of the tumors were located in the left breast (57%). The most common type of BC was the invasive ductal carcinoma (89%) associated in 61 % of the cases with lymph nodes involvement. Furthermore, the estrogen receptor (ER) positivity was seen in 81% of cases and the Progesterone Receptor (PR) positivity in 71%. Discussion:The prevalence of BC varies in the Arab world from less than 1% in some countries, similar to western countries, to 4% in others. Genetic mutations such as the BRCA 2 mutation were rarely studied or mentioned. Moreover, the treatment-predicting hormonal receptors such as ER and PR are routinely tested in Arab countries while the Her2NEU receptor is frequently neglected depriving many cancer patients from targeted therapies.