IntroductionMale breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and inadequately characterized disease. The aim of the present study was to characterize MBC tumors transcriptionally, to classify them into comprehensive subgroups, and to compare them with female breast cancer (FBC).MethodsA total of 66 clinicopathologically well-annotated fresh frozen MBC tumors were analyzed using Illumina Human HT-12 bead arrays, and a tissue microarray with 220 MBC tumors was constructed for validation using immunohistochemistry. Two external gene expression datasets were used for comparison purposes: 37 MBCs and 359 FBCs.ResultsUsing an unsupervised approach, we classified the MBC tumors into two subgroups, luminal M1 and luminal M2, respectively, with differences in tumor biological features and outcome, and which differed from the intrinsic subgroups described in FBC. The two subgroups were recapitulated in the external MBC dataset. Luminal M2 tumors were characterized by high expression of immune response genes and genes associated with estrogen receptor (ER) signaling. Luminal M1 tumors, on the other hand, despite being ER positive by immunohistochemistry showed a lower correlation to genes associated with ER signaling and displayed a more aggressive phenotype and worse prognosis. Validation of two of the most differentially expressed genes, class 1 human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and the metabolizing gene N-acetyltransferase-1 (NAT1), respectively, revealed significantly better survival associated with high expression of both markers (HLA, hazard ratio (HR) 3.6, P = 0.002; NAT1, HR 2.5, P = 0.033). Importantly, NAT1 remained significant in a multivariate analysis (HR 2.8, P = 0.040) and may thus be a novel prognostic marker in MBC.ConclusionsWe have detected two unique and stable subgroups of MBC with differences in tumor biological features and outcome. They differ from the widely acknowledged intrinsic subgroups of FBC. As such, they may constitute two novel subgroups of breast cancer, occurring exclusively in men, and which may consequently require novel treatment approaches. Finally, we identified NAT1 as a possible prognostic biomarker for MBC, as suggested by NAT1 positivity corresponding to better outcome.

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A case of necrotizing sialometaplasia of the lip in an 68-year-old pipe smoker is described. Necrotizing sialometaplasia is a self-healing non-neoplastic disease probably of ischaemic nature. Thirty-nine cases of sialometaplasia are described in the literature up to early 1979. These cases appeared in the palate, nasal cavity, gingiva, lip, hypopharynx and maxillary sinus. Six cases have also been reported from major salivary glands. Histologically there is necrosis of mucous cells with partial replacement by squamous epithelium. This entity has often been mistaken for squamous or mucoepidermoid carcinoma. One has to be familiar with the existence of necrotizing sialometaplasia in ordeg surgery.

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A case of peliosis hepatis in a 3 year old child with steroid hormone producing adreanl tumour is presented. The diagnosis of the adrenal tumour and peliosis hepatis was settled on the basis of surgical material examination. This case of peliosis hepatis due to endogenous steroid production lends more support to the earlier reported cases of iatrogenically produced peliosis due to exogenous steroid treatment.