Screening mammography in men with BRCA mutations: is there a role?

Male breast cancer is rare, with an estimated incidence of 1.08 per 100,000 men, and a death rate less than one third of that. However, the incidence of breast cancer in men with the BRCA2 mutation is significantly higher, 7.1% before age 70 (Evans et al., J Med Genet. 2010; 47:710). Due to the low incidence of male breast carcinoma, and even lower incidence of male BRCA2 positive breast cancers, clear screening guidelines for patients at risk for male for breast cancer have not been established. We report a case of male breast carcinoma in a patient with the BRCA2 mutation detected by screening mammography, and review the literature regarding screening mammography in men.