Klinefelter's Syndrome and Cancer of the Breast

Abstract

We have recently studied a patient with Klinefelter's syndrome who developed cancer of the breast. A review of the literature indicates that this association may be significant. Patient Summary A 63-year-old Negro man was admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital, Washington, DC, because of a serosanguineous discharge from the right nipple of two weeks' duration. There was no pain or tenderness of the breast and no history of local trauma. Both breasts had been enlarged since adolescence. The patient stated that he shaved every other day. Pubic and axillary hair appeared at the age of 19, and libido and potentia were normal until the age of 58, at which time they decreased markedly. Hypertension had been present for 25 years; proteinuria and moderate azotemia had been present for one year. Physical examination revealed a man with eunuchoid proportions. His height was 184 cm (6 feet ½ inch) with an arm