The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of male breast cancer patients seen for adjuvant therapy at a single institution. A retrospective review of computerized records in the Departments of Medical and Radiation Oncology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) was undertaken. Between 1983 and 1996, 24 men were referred for treatment of breast cancer. Of these, 19 had localized breast cancer, four had metastatic disease and one had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The median age was 57.5 years (range: 26-78) and median follow-up was 6.2 years (range: 0.6-36). Pathological staging was performed. Survival was assessed using actuarial life table analysis. Of the 19 patients who presented with localized disease, there were 12 T1, five T2 and two T4 cancers. Eleven patients had axillary lymph node involvement. Ten patients were oestrogen receptor (ER) positive, two patients were ER negative and seven patients had unknown receptor status. All patients underwent surgery. Eleven patients received radiotherapy. The median dose and dose per fraction were 50 Gy and 2 Gy, respectively. Adjuvant systemic therapy was delivered to 10 patients, of whom nine were node-positive. Four patients received chemotherapy alone, three patients received chemotherapy and tamoxifen, and three patients received tamoxifen only. Seven patients relapsed (one local, five distant, one both). Of the two patients with local relapses, one had received radiotherapy. Of the distant failures, four of six patients had no systemic therapy. There were only two node-positive patients who were not given systemic treatment and both relapsed. Median survival in all patients with invasive cancer was 7.5 years, and in those with localized disease it was 7.6 years. The median survival of node-positive patients was 3.8 years. In node-negative patients the median survival had not been reached at a median follow-up of 6.2 years. The majority of patients (12/14) with known receptor status were ER+, a finding that parallels those of other studies. Local control rates were 88% (7/8) in patients who had mastectomy alone and 91% (10/11) in those patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. Systemic therapy was found to be beneficial in patients with node-positive disease. Chemotherapy was administered more frequently than hormonal therapy. The median survivals were consistent with those reported in other series.