Benign cyst of the male breast. An exceedingly rare entity that may pose a diagnostic dilemma. Management and literature review

Article type: Case Report

Authors: Salemis, Nikolaos S.^{a; b; c;}

Affiliations: [a] Breast Cancer Surgery Unit, Army General Hospital, Athens, Greece | [b] IASO Women’s Hospital, Athens, Greece | [c] IASO Thessalias Hospital, Larissa, Greece

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Nikolaos S. Salemis, MD, Ph.D., FACS, Consultant Surgical Oncologist, Head of 2nd Department of Surgery, Army General Hospital, 19 Taxiarhon Street, 19014 Kapandriti, Athens, Greece. E-mails: nikossesalemis@aol.com, nikos.salemis@gmail.com

Abstract: Cysts represent the most common cause of a breast mass in women. On the contrary, in men, the presence of a benign apocrine cyst is an exceedingly rare occurrence, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We describe herein a case of benign apocrine breast cyst without concurrent gynecomastia in a 41-year-old male. Diagnostic evaluation and management are discussed, along with a review of the literature. Given the extreme rarity of benign breast cysts in males, a thorough investigation is essential in male patients presenting with cystic breast lesions. Diagnostic breast imaging may be challenging. Surgical resection of the cyst should be considered in the presence of atypical imaging features to exclude underlying malignancy.

Keywords: Benign, apocrine, cyst, male

DOI: 10.3233/BD-201064

Journal: Breast Disease, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 207-211, 2021