Male breast cancer recurrence & survival data

Last updated: March 7, 2024

Male breast cancer recurrence & survival

Male breast cancer recurrence & survival

Below we summarize available data published since 2020 concerning the risk of recurrence for invasive male breast cancer. However, please note that outcomes can vary greatly depending on numerous factors. Also, the statistics below represent snapshots from studies that were conducted using different populations under a variety of circumstances.

Therefore, the numbers are somewhat inconsistent and far from definitive and should not be used to calculate your likely recurrence-free survival. However, the data is useful in getting a general idea of male breast cancer prognosis and to compare outcomes depending on treatment and other factors. For example, the data suggests that breast conserving surgery (lumpectomy) typically has a better prognosis when followed by radiation treatment, especially for stage II and stage III disease.

Definition of survival terms

Progression-free survival means that no recurrence, metastasis or breast cancer-related death took place during the specified period. Overall survival means no death occurred (whether from breast cancer or from another cause).

Male breast cancer recurrence & survival data

Patient and treatment characteristics → Likelihood of progression-free or overall survival

General survival - U.S. male breast cancer population

Overall survival
- Five-year overall survival → 74% to 92%
- Five-year progression-free survival → 62% to 86%
Overall survival by ethnicity
- Five-year overall survival, African-American → 78%
- Five-year overall survival, Latino → 83%
- Five-year overall survival, white → 86%

Survival based on stage at diagnosis

Five-year overall survival by stage
- Stage I: Five-year overall survival → 82% to 99%
- Stage II: Five-year overall survival → 86%
- Stage III: Five-year overall survival → 78%
- Stage IV: Five-year overall survival → 26% to 37%
Five-year survival for stage I-III
- Stage I-III: Five-year overall survival → 83%
- Stage I-III: Five-year progression-free survival → 66%
20-year breast cancer-specific survival for ER+/PR+
- Stage I: ER+/PR+ 20-year breast cancer-specific survival → 88%
- Stage II: ER+/PR+ 20-year breast cancer-specific survival → 74%
- Stage III: ER+/PR+ 20-year breast cancer-specific survival → 54%

Survival based on receptor type

Hormone receptor positive (ER+/PR+)
- ER+/PR+/HER2-: Five-year overall survival → 66% to 77%
- ER+/PR+/HER2+: Five-year overall survival → 65%
Hormone receptor negative (ER-/PR-)
- ER-/PR-/HER2+: Five-year overall survival → 84%
- ER-/PR-/HER2-: Five-year overall survival → 48%

Survival based on treatment

Survival based on use of chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy: Four-year overall survival → 98%
- No chemotherapy: Four-year overall survival → 95%
Survival based on use of tamoxifen
- Tamoxifen: Median 39-month progression-free survival → 89%
- No tamoxifen: Median 39-month progression-free survival → 82%
Survival based on lumpectomy & radiotherapy
- Stage I radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 77%
- Stage I no radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 63%
- Stage II radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 72%
- Stage II no radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 40%
- Stage III radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 68%
- Stage III no radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 35%
Survival based on mastectomy & radiotherapy
- Stage I radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 65%
- Stage I no radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 68%
- Stage II radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 58%
- Stage II no radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 53%
- Stage III radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 42%
- Stage III no radiotherapy: Five-year overall survival → 28%

Below are links to recent studies concerning this topic. Please also see our article on male breast cancer, which describes factors that drive outcomes in male breast cancer.

Selected breast cancer studies

Mortality Risks Over 20 Years in Men With Stage I to III Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer Cite
Leone J, Hassett MJ, Freedman RA, Tolaney SM, Graham N, Tayob N, et al. Mortality Risks Over 20 Years in Men With Stage I to III Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer. JAMA Oncology. American Medical Association (AMA); 2024; 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.7194
Clinical, Pathological, and Prognostic Features of Male Breast Cancer: A Multicenter Study Cite
Accomasso F, Actis S, Minella C, Rosso R, Granaglia C, Ponzone R, et al. Clinical, Pathological, and Prognostic Features of Male Breast Cancer: A Multicenter Study. Current Oncology. MDPI AG; 2023; 30:9860-9871 10.3390/curroncol30110716
Is There a Survival Difference Between Male and Female Breast Cancer Subtypes According to the Prognostic Staging System? A Population-Based Cohort Study Cite
Sanli AN, Tekcan Sanli DE, Altundag MK, Aydogan F. Is There a Survival Difference Between Male and Female Breast Cancer Subtypes According to the Prognostic Staging System? A Population-Based Cohort Study. The American Surgeon™. SAGE Publications; 2023; 10.1177/00031348231212588
An analysis of National Cancer Data Base: Male breast cancer and overall survival. Cite
Albagoush S, Masih D, Wu X, Swedek M, Randhawa SE, Silberstein PT. An analysis of National Cancer Data Base: Male breast cancer and overall survival.. Journal of Clinical Oncology. American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO); 2023; 41:e12513-e12513 10.1200/jco.2023.41.16_suppl.e12513
Abstract PD6-08: PD6-08 Mortality risks over 20 years in men with stage I-III hormone receptor-positive breast cancer Cite
Leone J, Hassett MJ, Freedman R, Tolaney S, Graham N, Tayob N, et al. Abstract PD6-08: PD6-08 Mortality risks over 20 years in men with stage I-III hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Cancer Research. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR); 2023; 83:PD6-08-PD6-08 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs22-pd6-08
Survival in male breast cancer over the past 3 decades Cite
Leone JP, Freedman RA, Leone J, Tolaney SM, Vallejo CT, Leone BA, et al. Survival in male breast cancer over the past 3 decades. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Oxford University Press (OUP); 2022; 115:421-428 10.1093/jnci/djac241
The Prevalence and Death Risk of Male Breast Cancer: A Study Based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database Cite
Cui X. The Prevalence and Death Risk of Male Breast Cancer: A Study Based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database. American Journal of Men's Health. SAGE Publications; 2022; 16:155798832210748 10.1177/15579883221074818
Prognostic Factors in Male Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Nationwide Study in South Korea by the Study of SMARTSHIP Group Cite
Park S, Hur H, Lee JS, Yoon J, Hur SM, Chung IY, et al. Prognostic Factors in Male Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Nationwide Study in South Korea by the Study of SMARTSHIP Group. Journal of Breast Cancer. Korean Breast Cancer Society; 2021; 24:561 10.4048/jbc.2021.24.e54
Management and outcomes of men diagnosed with primary breast cancer Cite
Johnson AE, Coopey SB, Spring LM, Horick NK, Leone JP, Lin NU, et al. Management and outcomes of men diagnosed with primary breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Springer Science and Business Media LLC; 2021; 10.1007/s10549-021-06174-y
The Use of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Male Breast Cancer and Its Impact on Outcomes. Cite
Bakalov V, Jayakrishnan TT, Abel S, Hilton C, Rusia B, Wegner RE. The Use of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Male Breast Cancer and Its Impact on Outcomes.. Cancer Treatment and Research Communications. Elsevier BV; 2021;:100359 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100359
Tumor subtypes and survival in male breast cancer Cite
Leone J, Freedman RA, Lin NU, Tolaney SM, Vallejo CT, Leone BA, et al. Tumor subtypes and survival in male breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Springer Science and Business Media LLC; 2021; 10.1007/s10549-021-06182-y
Abstract PS14-25: Outcomes of metastatic male breast cancer Cite
Dogan I, Khanmammadov N, Aydıner A, Saip P. Abstract PS14-25: Outcomes of metastatic male breast cancer. Poster Session Abstracts. American Association for Cancer Research; 2021; 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs20-ps14-25
Male Breast Cancer: 13-Year Single Institution Experience Cite
Srour MK, Amersi F, Mirocha J, Giuliano AE, Chung A. Male Breast Cancer: 13-Year Single Institution Experience. The American Surgeon. SAGE Publications; 2020; 86:1345-1350 10.1177/0003134820964444
Breast Cancer Survival Among Males by Race, Ethnicity, Age, Geographic Region, and Stage — United States, 2007–2016 Cite
Ellington TD, Henley SJ, Wilson RJ, Miller JW. Breast Cancer Survival Among Males by Race, Ethnicity, Age, Geographic Region, and Stage — United States, 2007–2016. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Centers for Disease Control MMWR Office; 2020; 69:1481-1484 10.15585/mmwr.mm6941a2
Survival benefit of tamoxifen in male breast cancer: prospective cohort analysis Cite
Eggemann H, Brucker C, Schrauder M, Thill M, Flock F, Reinisch M, et al. Survival benefit of tamoxifen in male breast cancer: prospective cohort analysis. British Journal of Cancer. Springer Science and Business Media LLC; 2020; 123:33-37 10.1038/s41416-020-0857-z
Impact of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Patients With Male Breast Cancer: A Multicenter International Analysis Cite
Rolf D, Elsayad K, Meheissen MA, Elkerm Y, Opitz C, Radke I, et al. Impact of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Patients With Male Breast Cancer: A Multicenter International Analysis. Advances in Radiation Oncology. Elsevier BV; 2020; 5:345-349 10.1016/j.adro.2020.01.006
Male breast cancer: a closer look at patient and tumor characteristics and factors that affect survival using the National Cancer Database Cite
Sarmiento S, McColl M, Musavi L, Gani F, Canner JK, Jacobs L, et al. Male breast cancer: a closer look at patient and tumor characteristics and factors that affect survival using the National Cancer Database. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Springer Science and Business Media LLC; 2020; 180:471-479 10.1007/s10549-020-05556-y
Epidemiology and biological characteristics of male breast cancer in Italy Cite
Mangone L, Ferrari F, Mancuso P, Carrozzi G, Michiara M, Falcini F, et al. Epidemiology and biological characteristics of male breast cancer in Italy. Breast Cancer. Springer Science and Business Media LLC; 2020; 27:724-731 10.1007/s12282-020-01068-1
The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage I–III male breast cancer: a SEER-based analysis Cite
Li W, Gao H, Ji F, Zhu T, Cheng M, Yang M, et al. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage I–III male breast cancer: a SEER-based analysis. Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology. SAGE Publications; 2020; 12:175883592095835 10.1177/1758835920958358