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Carcinoma of the Male Breast
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Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
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TO THE EDITOR:
In their otherwise excellent review of carcinoma of the male breast, Jaiyesimi and colleagues [1] state that synchronous or metachronous bilateral involvement of the breasts is rare. Although rare, second primary cancers are potentially lethal occurrences, and men may be less attuned than women to the need for regular follow-up after removal of a primary breast cancer.
In 1981, I saw a 76-year-old man who presented with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pleura. His history showed that he had had a breast cancer removed from the right breast in the 1940s without subsequent follow-up. On physical examination, he had a mass in the left breast, which was surgically removed and proved to be an infiltrating ductal carcinoma. He died after palliative hormonal and chemotherapeutic interventions.
This experience has suggested to me that men with primary breast cancer should be considered for elective subcutaneous mastectomy of the uninvolved breast at the time of their original diagnosis. This procedure would greatly decrease the risk for second primary cancers at trivial financial and emotional cost. These patients should be educated to continue routine surveillance of the uninvolved as well as the involved breast.
Richard F. LeBlond
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
Type with double-spacing
Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright 2004 by the American College of Physicians
