Singla V, Bhatia H, Garg D, Bal A, Sekar A. A compendium of male breast imaging: The road less traveled. World J Radiol 2025; 17(9): 110906 [PMID: 41025061 DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i9.110906]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Harsimran Bhatia, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India. harsimranbhatia13@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Veenu Singla, Harsimran Bhatia, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India
Dollphy Garg, Department of Radiodiagnosis, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India
Amanjit Bal, Aravind Sekar, Department of Histopathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India
Author contributions: Singla V, Bhatia H, and Garg D designed and drafted the manuscript; Bal A and Sekar A contributed to the pathology section of the draft; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Harsimran Bhatia, Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India. harsimranbhatia13@gmail.com
Received: June 19, 2025 Revised: July 18, 2025 Accepted: August 14, 2025 Published online: September 28, 2025 Processing time: 99 Days and 21 Hours
Abstract
Male breast disorders, though less prevalent, present unique diagnostic challenges that differ significantly from their female counterparts. While benign entities such as gynecomastia are predominant, the risk of underlying malignancy, often diagnosed at an advanced stage, highlights the need for a systematic, image-guided assessment. Ultrasound and mammography are the first-line complementary tools, with magnetic resonance imaging reserved for problem-solving. This review outlines the anatomical, pathological, and radiological nuances of the male breast, describing crucial red flag signs, sonographic pitfalls, and mammographic mimics that aid in distinguishing benign entities from sinister pathologies such as invasive ductal carcinoma. Given the increasing visibility of transgender individuals, this review also addresses imaging considerations and screening recommendations tailored to this population. By integrating clinical insights with radiologic imaging, this review offers a comprehensive approach to both common and not-so-common male breast lesions, with an emphasis on an algorithmic stepwise diagnostic approach.
Core Tip: Male breast disorders are relatively uncommon. Imaging of the male breast, per se, warrants attention as the radiological findings may differ from corresponding pathologies of the female breast. In addition, red flag signs on mammography and ultrasound must be accurately picked by the radiologist and conveyed to the clinician to promptly diagnose sinister pathologies such as invasive ductal carcinoma. This review focuses on these nuances and provides a step-wise algorithmic approach toward a male breast lesion, while also addressing imaging recommendations for transgender individuals.
