Male breast cancer: the importance of recognizing family history and the preliminary results of linkage analysis to BRCA1 and BRCA2

We report two families with male and female breast cancer, one with breast cancer alone and the second with an apparent predispostion to others cancers, including one male breast cancer patient with three primary tumours. Male breast cancer is rare, with inherited predisposition being a major risk factor. In the cancer genetic clinic in Aberdeen, UK, nine families with male breast cancer have been seen among 930 reporting a family history of female breast cancer, reflecting the rarity of the tumour. Two gene loci linked to the inherited predisposition to breast cancer have been identified on chromosomes 17q and l3q, BRCA1 and BRCA2 respectively. BRCA2 is implicated in the pathogenesis of male breast cancer whereas BRCA1 has not been associated with this tumour. Linkage studies were performed using polymorphic markers and preliminary results suggest that BRCA1 may be implicated in one of these families.