Breast Cancer in Men: Risk Factors, Treatment Options, Quality of Life: Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: The aim was to systematically examine the risk factors that have a role in the development and prognosis regarding the breast cancer among men and patients’ survival rate, and the studies performed to determine the treatment methods and patients’ quality of life. Methods: The databases of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, OVID-LWW, Medline Complete, Science Direct, Taylor&Francis, ULAKBIM, Ethos, OpenThesis, Open Dissertation, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, and National Center of Theses were used to screen the literature. Case-control and cohort studies published between 2000 and 2020 were included. Following the screening activity, 14 studies were included in the systematic review. Results: This study involved seven cohort and seven case-control studies. Most of the patients were followed with invasive carcinoma diagnosis. These studies aimed to examine the genetic mutations and impacts of environmental, anthropometric and hormonal factors in regard to the risk factors. The factors such as the molecular classification of cancer, presence of genetic mutation, cancer stage and treatment methods affected the prognosis and survival rate. Mastectomy was used as the first treatment option, and this process had adverse impacts on patients’ quality of life physically, mentally and emotionally. Conclusion: This study indicated that many risk factors played a role in the development and prognosis of breast cancer among men and their survival rate, that mastectomy was the primary treatment option, and that patients’ quality of life was adversely affected during/following the disease.