Tumor mammae - a dignostic challenge

The study includes all patients referred for surgical examination with suspected breast cancer (n=439) during a single year. All women were examined clinically. Mammography was performed in 372 cases (88%), and 195 (46%) women underwent biopsy. 37 (8.7%) of the admitted women had breast cancer, which was verified by histological examination. This corresponds to an incidence rate of 0.8 per 1000 women, and an incidence rate of 2.0 per 1000 in women above 40 years. In four patients who were not suspected of having breast cancer after clinical examination, breast cancer was revealed by mammography. However, mammography alone is insufficient, since three mammograms were false negative in cases where cancers were diagnosed clinically. Therefore, both mammography and clinical investigation are necessary in the examination of women with breast tumors. When breast cancer cannot be ruled out by physical and mammographic examination, a representative specimen of the tumor should be removed for histological or cytological examination. 9 refs., 1 fig., 6 tabs