Trends in Incidence, Treatment Patterns and Genomic Testing Utilization among Male Breast Cancer Patients Using the OneFlorida Database

• Published in: International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics Vol. 120; no. 2; p. e300
• Main Authors: Casper, A.C., Hong, Y.R., Bradley, J.A., Oladeru, O.T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.10.2024
• ISSN: 0360-3016
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2024.07.666

Research on male breast cancer (MBC) has predominantly relied on single institution studies and management practices are mainly extrapolated from female breast cancer. However, MBC is increasingly being recognized as a distinct entity from its female counterpart. The aim of our study is to help advance the understanding of MBC and identify areas for improvement in its management by characterizing the prevalence, treatment patterns, and utilization of genomic testing of a regional population. The OneFlorida Database is a clinical research consortium encompassing healthcare data for 20 million patients across 22 hospital systems. This database was queried for all patients with MBC diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2021. We examined the following variables: demographics, treatment modalities, receipt of genomic testing, and use of supplementary services. Staging information was available for 114 patients, with more information forthcoming. With IRB approval, we identified 3,159 patients diagnosed with MBC with a median age at diagnosis of 58.1 years (standard deviation = 16.8). From 2010-2021, the incidence rate of MBC decreased from 51.9% to 31.2%. Twenty-one percent (N = 664) of men diagnosed were under the age of 45. Sixty-four percent of patients were White, eight percent were Black, and twelve percent were multiracial/other. Seventeen percent were of Hispanic ethnicity and 75% were non-Hispanic. The stage at time of diagnosis were Stage 0: 6%, Stage I: 17%, Stage II: 40%, Stage III: 14%, and Stage IV: 24%. Ten percent of patients had genetic testing completed as part of their work up. Important differences were noted in our study when compared to female patients with breast cancer. A significant number of young men were diagnosed with breast cancer, requiring further investigation. Compared to female breast cancer, a higher number of men in our population presented with stage IV disease. Although current guidelines recommend all males with breast cancer undergo genetic testing, only ten percent had this completed. Our findings help with the characterization of MBC, identify areas for improvement in management, and provide future directions for further research.