[Mammography--watch out for false negatives]

Patients with breast tumours should be examined by a combination of physical examination, mammography and fine needle aspiration biopsy. The authors discuss the history of four patients with palpable breast lesions. All of these patients had tumours which had not been discovered by mammography. The diagnosis was delayed 2,11,12 and 12 months respectively. Patients with palpable lesions must not be referred to mammography performed under "screening conditions", but must be examined in a clinical context, preferably by the "triple-test".