[Galactography in the early detection of breast cancer]

Pathologic discharge from the breast occurred in 308 out of 5000 (6.1%) apparently healthy women. Ductography was carried out in 237 such cases. The procedure revealed ductal ectasia in 96 patients (40.5%), ductal papillomatosis--38 (16.0%), intraductal papilloma--15 (6.8%) and cysts--in 16 cases. Cancer was suspected in 22 (9.3%) patients and in 14 (63.6%) of them tumor was diagnosed following excisional biopsy. On the whole, cancer was detected in 5.9% of the examined cases. In 13 out of 14 (92.9%), ductal carcinomas were either minimal (dia less than or equal to 1 cm) or noninvasive.