Mammography in the symptomatic woman

This is a statistical analysis of the use of mammography in the symptomatic patient. Eighty-eight percent of women older than 50 years who had a palpable cancer of the breast had a positive mammogram; only 57% of women younger than 51 years of age had a positive mammogram. When the cancer presented as nipple discharge or Paget's disease without a mass, mammography was of no help in determining the need for surgery. One synchronous cancer per 100 patients, in the contralateral breast, was detected by mammography only. Eleven percent of the patients, who had a previous cancer of the breast and were followed for a maximum 11 years, developed cancer of the contralateral breast; 50% of the metachronous cancers were found by mammography only. In 1000 symptomatic patients without an indication for biopsy on physical examination, five cancers were found on mammography. Mammography uncommonly demonstrates unsuspected cancer in the symptomatic patient. Its greatest value is in finding metachronous cancers.