Breast cancer detected in transmen undergoing mastectomy

The number of transmen seeking gender-confirming surgery has risen in the past decade. In a paper published in the British Journal of Surgery analysing breast tissue from 344 transmen undergoing mastectomy, breast lesions—either benign or malignant—were present in 166 individuals (48.3%).

Invasive breast cancer was found in two samples. The value of routine examination of mastectomy specimens was illustrated by the discovery of an unexpected breast cancer in a 31-year-old transman.

"The discovery of benign breast lesions will not change a patient's treatment, but the detection of an unexpected breast cancer will. For some of these patients with breast cancer, chemotherapy and axillary lymph node examination will be necessary. In this way, histopathologists provide essential information for both the patient and his physicians," said senior author Dr. Mieke Van Bockstal.