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Case report
Unilateral nipple discharge in a man without a palpable mass diagnosed as breast cancer
  1. Karan N Ramakrishna,
  2. Justin Durland,
  3. Christopher Ramos and
  4. Amit Singh Dhamoon
  1. Department of Internal Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Amit Singh Dhamoon; dhamoona{at}upstate.edu

Abstract

A 69-year-old man without a family history of breast cancer presented to his primary care physician with a 1-year history of clear, unilateral nipple discharge (ND) without an associated palpable breast mass. His laboratory findings were significant for hyperprolactinaemia at 28 ng/mL. Diagnostic work up including mammography, ultrasound and core needle biopsy ultimately revealed a ductal carcinoma in situ and a rare papillary variant of invasive ductal carcinoma. The patient was referred to a multidisciplinary oncology team and underwent a right total mastectomy followed by adjuvant hormonal therapy. The patient made a good postoperative recovery and remains without evidence of recurrence 6 months from surgery. Male breast cancer is rare, but its incidence is increasing. Male breast cancer presenting as ND without a palpable mass is uncommon. Early recognition of breast symptoms in men can lead to earlier diagnoses and improved outcomes.

  • breast cancer
  • cancer intervention

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2020-236223

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    Footnotes

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    • Contributors KNR and JD reviewed the patient’s electronic medical record, compiled radiological images, reviewed literature and prepared the manuscript. CR reviewed histopathological specimens, compiled histopathological images and assisted in preparation of manuscript. ASD supervised the preparation of the manuscript and provided editorial guidance. Patient was under the care of ASD.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.