Conditions of the male breast: Gynaecomastia and male breast cancer (Review)

Breast disease most commonly affects females; however, a small percentage of men are also affected. Understandably given its low incidence, awareness of male breast disease is low, particularly among the general population. We searched the Medline database from 1950 onwards using the search terms male, breast, neoplasms and gynaecomastia, and reviewed the conditions associated with male breast disease, examining some of the risk factors and discussing how these conditions are diagnosed and treated, and finally putting forward some suggestions for their future management.