Cerebral Metastasis from Breast Cancer in a Male Patient with HIV

Abstract

Context. Breast cancer (BC) in men is a rare condition, corresponding to 1% of all neoplasms in this gender. Some studies show that up to 93% of BC cases in men are advanced disease. If its occurrence constitutes an uncommon fact, the appearance of a metastasis to the central nervous system (CNS) is extremely rare. The objective of the present study is to present the case of a male patient, bearer of HIV infection, who presented with BC and later metastasis to the CNS. We also include a brief review of the literature. Case Report. We describe a case of a male patient, 59 years old, with HIV infection and a history of BC treated 4 years earlier, which progressed into headache and vertigo. Neuroimaging exams showed lesions suggestive of cerebral metastasis and a stereotaxic biopsy confirmed BC metastasis. Conclusion. Breast cancer in men with metastasis to the CNS is a rare condition and similar reports were not found in the available databases. It should be pointed out that even though rare, it should be considered among the differential diagnoses for SNC metastases in men, although HIV infection favors the appearance of some types of cancer.

Brain Metastasis from Breast Cancer in a Male Patient

“…It has been reported that about 93% of the male breast cancers were diagnosed at an advanced stage, in which 30% were diagnosed with metastasis as the first presentation. 1 This was probably because of a lack of awareness among men leading to the delay in seeking treatment. The reported common sites of metastasis in male breast cancer are bones (48.78%), lungs (29.26%), liver (17.07%), spine (30%) skin and pleura.…”

“…Male breast cancer is rare and accounts for 1% of all malignant breast neoplasm cases. 1,2 Male breast cancer has many differences from female breast cancer in terms of age of diagnosis, frequency of histological subtype and hormonal receptor expression frequency. 3 Male breast cancer has a peak incidence at the age of 71 years in comparison to female breast cancer, which shows bimodal age frequency distribution with a peak incidence at the age of 52 and 72 years respectively.…”

“…6 Several risk factors including genetic, hormonal, occupational and/or environmental exposure are associated with male breast cancer. 1,2,7 Nearly 15% of male breast cancers are familial with BRCA2 is the strongest. 5 Apart from that, gene mutation of androgen receptor (AR), CHEK 2, and PTEN have been reported as well.…”

“…Skin ulceration and nipple discharge have been reported in 45% and 10% of the cases respectively. 1 These symptoms are more common in males due to the unique male breast anatomy. 5 Herein, we describe a 60-year-old man with left breast triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma who presented with seizure and right hemiparesis.…”

Feeling cold and other underestimated symptoms in breast cancer: anecdotes or individual profiles for advanced patient stratification?

“…Actually, a very few papers are dedicated to the thirst feeling in breast cancer, and all of them are focused on the issue during BC treatment and BC patients specifically with diabetic history. On the other side, it is well known that reduced water intake leading to mild or severe body dehydration is a strong risk factor for several pathologies including breast malignancies [18] and headache/migraine attacks [19]. However, if any, highly restricted information is available regarding potential mechanisms of the dehydration in breast cancer predisposition and pathology.…”