Edinburgh Napier University

  Background/aims: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare condition accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancers globally. MBC patients experience unique physical and emotional challenges requiring a thorough understanding of their experiences including the psychosocial effects and supportive care needs. MBC patients also experience stigma within the healthcare system as they navigate a disease labelled as a woman’s disease, which could potentially influence the support offered leading to worsening well-being outcomes. We aimed to explore the experiences and treatment modalities of MBC patients across different contexts in promoting awareness.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted in line with PRISMA guidelines. Six electronic databases were searched for articles from database inception to 2021. The search strategy combined search terms: ‘Men’ OR ‘Male’ OR ‘Father’ AND ‘Breast cancer’ OR ‘Breast carcinoma′ OR ‘Breast tumour’ AND ‘Experiences’ OR ‘Perceptions’ OR ‘Perspectives’ AND ‘Treatment’ OR ‘Approaches’ OR ‘Outcomes’. We included primary studies of any design for adults age 18years; reporting on the experiences and treatment modalities of MBC patients. Data were extracted on study location, design, verbatim quotes on experiences and treatment modalities of MBC. A results-based convergent design was used for data analysis. Study quality was assessed using QATSDD.
Results: The search retrieved 29,682 papers and n=38 were retained in the final analysis. N=26 out of the n=38 studies were quantitative, n=6 studies each employed qualitative and mixed-method designs. Three themes emerged from our analysis:
a. Navigating through a threat to masculinity;
b. Navigating through treatment; and
c. Coping and support systems.
Conclusions: Men experience a myriad of issues following a breast cancer diagnosis, especially with their masculinity. Awareness creation on MBC could lead to changing the perception of men and promote early diagnosis, adherence to treatments, post-treatment monitoring, and a better quality of life.