Accuracy of mammography in an Australian community setting

The records of three surgeons in a Sydney suburban practice have been reviewed to compare the histopathological data from breast biopsies with the clinical assessment, and the mammographic and ultrasound reports, and to assess the extent of the delay before presentation to a surgeon to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the three modalities, and whether mammography contributed to this delay. Two hundred and nineteen breast biopsies that were performed in the years 1984 to 1986 inclusive were reviewed. Of these, 72 were cancerous lesions and 147 were benign lesions. The accuracy (true-positive rate) of mammography for the detection of cancer was 83% with a false-negative rate of 11%. We found no evidence that mammography contributed significantly to the delay before patients presented to specialist surgeons, nor to any delay before they underwent a biopsy.