Male Gynecomastia and other Benign Conditions: Section 3.d.

CONTENTS:

3.10 Benign Conditions of the Male Breast
3.10.1 Male Gynecomastia

Forward to 4A on atypical hyperplasia Back to 3C on fibroadenoma

Benign! Benign they say! There’s nothing benign about men developing breasts, although…they are fairly soft and round and hmmmm….

3.10 Benign Conditions of the Male Breast

The mesenchymal and skin-associated tumors described in the female breast may also occur in the male breast. Male gynecomastia is the most common benign condition of the glandular components of the male breast. All breast lumps should be taken seriously and examined by a doctor to exclude breast cancer in males (Section 5e.).

3.10.1 Male Gynecomastia

Male gynecomastia is a benign proliferative condition of the glandular tissue of the male breast. Male gynecomastia is now believed to be caused by an increase in estrogen activity.

Gynecomastia may be unilateral or bilateral. It presents as a palpable mass of tissue, up to 0.5 cm in diameter, and it is usually found underlying the nipple (Braunstein, 2007).

The mammographic features of male gynecomastia are distinctive and are described as a fan-shaped mass below the nipple, that blends into the surrounding fat. The diagnostic histology of gynecomastia shows glandular proliferation of varying amounts, but which changes over time.

Figure 3.36 Male Gynecomastia.

A. Mammographic X-ray of the typical features of male gynecomastia, with
radio-dense tissue spreading down from the nipple. B. Photomicrograph
of the histology from the excision specimen shows proliferation of
poorly-developed breast ducts, encircled by connective tissue.
C. Photomicrograph of a poorly-developed breast duct showing some
proliferative changes. There is no atypia or malignancy.
(H&E x20 & x40)

Do you still have that lump in your breast that hurts, Levi?

Not anymore.

References

Braunstein, G.D. (2007). Clinical practice. Gynecomastia. N Engl J Med 357(12), 1229. (Retrieved November 5^th 2014):

Fitzgibbons, P.L., Henson, D.E., Hutter, R.V.P. (1998). Benign breast changes and the risk for subsequent breast cancer – An update of the 1985 consensus statement. Arch Pathol Lab Med 122:1053-1055. (Retrieved November 5^th 2014):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9870852

More references for this section are on this page.

Patient Information

American Cancer Society (ACS): Non-Cancerous Breast Conditions.(Retrieved November 5^th 2014): http://www.cancer.org/healthy/findcancerearly/womenshealth/non-cancerousbreastconditions/non-cancerous-breast-conditions-toc

National Health Service (NHS): What is gynaecomastia? (Retrieved May 10th 2019)
https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/mens-health/what-is-gynaecomastia/

More patient information for this section is on this page.

Forward to 4A on atypical hyperplasia Back to 3C on fibroadenoma.