{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T15:43:42Z","timestamp":1776440622249,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,11]],"date-time":"2025-02-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1739232000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Male breast cancer is a rare neoplasm, accounting for approximately 1% of all breast cancer cases. It typically presents as a painless, retroareolar mass. An exceedingly rare variant is male occult breast cancer, which is primarily characterized by axillary lymph node enlargement without an identifiable primary breast tumor. We report an intriguing case of a septuagenarian patient diagnosed with male occult breast cancer. The patient presented with both axillary lymph node enlargement and an associated axillary skin ulcer, and was subsequently diagnosed with male occult breast cancer with metastases to the axillary and clavicular lymph nodes, as well as more distant sites. His treatment involved a multidisciplinary approach, including HER2-targeted therapy, chemotherapy, axillary lymph node dissection, and radiotherapy. Regular follow-ups have shown that his condition remains stable. Notably, this is the first documented case of male occult breast cancer with distant metastasis that was successfully treated with surgery and radiotherapy following systemic therapy. This case highlights the complex clinical presentation and management of male occult breast cancer. Our findings suggest that surgical intervention may be a feasible option post-downstaging by systemic therapy, even in the presence of distant metastases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2025.1374032","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,11]],"date-time":"2025-02-11T10:59:36Z","timestamp":1739271576000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Case report: Unraveling a unique case of male occult breast cancer with axillary intricacies and a comprehensive literature dive"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Xintong","family":"Xie","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiangyi","family":"Kong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hongnan","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jidong","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra1707939","article-title":"Breast cancer in men","volume":"378","author":"Giordano","year":"2018","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0360-3016(99)00542-8","article-title":"Occult breast carcinoma presenting as axillary metastases","volume":"47","author":"Foroudi","year":"2000","journal-title":"Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cncr.v116:17","article-title":"Population-based analysis of occult primary breast cancer with axillary lymph node metastasis","volume":"116","author":"Walker","year":"2010","journal-title":"Cancer"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1148\/radiology.212.2.r99au40543","article-title":"Breast MR imaging in patients with axillary node metastases and unknown primary Malignancy","volume":"212","author":"Orel","year":"1999","journal-title":"Radiology"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1038\/s41379-020-00697-3","article-title":"Novel uses of immunohistochemistry in breast pathology: interpretation and pitfalls","volume":"34","author":"Cimino-Mathews","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mod Pathol"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1200\/JCO.2008.21.6531","article-title":"Randomized phase II trial of first-line trastuzumab plus docetaxel and capecitabine compared with trastuzumab plus docetaxel in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer","volume":"28","author":"Wardley","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Clin Oncol"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1413513","article-title":"Pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer","volume":"372","author":"Swain","year":"2015","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1470-2045(15)00135-7","article-title":"Locoregional treatment versus no treatment of the primary tumour in metastatic breast cancer: an open-label randomised controlled trial","volume":"16","author":"Badwe","year":"2015","journal-title":"Lancet Oncol"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/SLA.0000000000002771","article-title":"Impact of breast surgery in primary metastasized breast cancer: outcomes of the prospective randomized phase III ABCSG-28 POSYTIVE trial","volume":"269","author":"Fitzal","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ann Surg"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jamcollsurg.2021.08.686","article-title":"Primary surgery with systemic therapy in patients with de novo stage IV breast cancer: 10-year follow-up; 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