Related Experiment Videos
Breast cancers invisible on mammography
L M Foxcroft1, E B Evans, H K Joshua
1Wesley Breast Clinic, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. loanif@Wesley.com.au
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery
|April 15, 2000
Summary
Mammograms can miss some breast cancers, termed mammographically occult cancers. Women aged 40-49 with dense breasts are more likely to have these occult cancers, necessitating further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Mammography is a key breast cancer screening tool, but some cancers are not detected.
- Mammographically occult breast cancers are those undetectable even in retrospect.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify women with mammographically occult breast cancer.
- To compare occult cancers with mammogram-positive cancers.
Main Methods:
- Reviewed 1757 breast cancers diagnosed between 1987-1997.
- Identified 120 mammographically occult cancers via independent review.
- Compared occult cancers with 1548 mammogram-positive cancers.
Main Results:
- Occult cancers were often detected due to clinical abnormalities (90%) or incidentally via ultrasound.
- Mammographically occult cancers were more common in women aged 40-49 and those with dense breasts.
- While often smaller, some occult cancers were large (7-11 cm).
Conclusions:
- Women aged 40-49 with dense breasts may benefit from additional imaging modalities.
- Clinical abnormalities in conjunction with risk factors warrant further investigation for occult malignancy.