Six male patients with breast cancer experienced in the past 38 years were reviewed clinicopathologically. In terms of clinical background, most of the patients were in their 70’s. The mean age was 68. All patients complained of a nodule in the breast, the majority of which were located in the subareolar region. The size of all nodules was under 3.0cm in diameter. Only one patient had heredodiathesis of familial breast cancer. In terms of pathohistological findings all cancers had infiltrated into the surrounding fat tissues of the mammary gland and two of them into the overlaying skin. The histological types of the cancers consisted of three papillotubular carcinoma, two scirrhous carcinoma and one solid-tubular carcinoma. Two of them involved the axillary lymph nodes. Three cancers examined for estrogen receptor and progesteron receptor were all positive. One of two cancers examined for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 was negative and the other was positive, but fluorescence in situ hybridization was negative.
There was a tendency for the age and clinical history of male patients with beast cancer to be more higher and longer, respectively, compared with female patients. Information about male breast cancer should be disseminated more widely.

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We retrospectively reviewed the clinical practice of the palliative care unit in the New Life Hospital during the past two years. Between April 2009 and March 2011, 272 patients visited our department for admission, 208 of them (76.5%) were hospitalized for a total of 230 times,and 64 (23.5%) canceled admission. The average age of hospitalized patients was 76.2 and the median age was 80, which was older than that in other facilities. The purpose of admission was to relieve symptoms for 166 patients, assist in their dying process for 43, provide care for patients who had difficulty residing at home for 44, and provide respite care for 19 family care givers. The most frequent symptom during hospitalization was pain, which was found in 151 (72.6%) patients. Opioids were administered to 150 (72.1%) patients, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to 133 (63.9%) and steroids to 125 (60.1%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 80.9% (186 patients). The average hospital stay was 41.7 days and the median was 23 days. Bed occupancy rate was 81.6% in the fiscal year of 2010. These statistical values were a little above those of other facilities and the national averages as well.

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