[Breast carcinoma in a series of 53 young women]

Breast carcinoma in young women is an uncommon problem which requires a high index of clinical suspicion. The clinical features, mammographic and echographic findings, and the results of fine-needle aspiration in the 53 cases of carcinoma in women aged < or = 35 years diagnosed in a general hospital from 1981 to 1994 were reported. Mean age at diagnosis was 31.3 years. The most common complaint for patient referral to the mammography unit was the detection of a nodule. Abnormalities were observed in 94% of mammographies obtained. Echography was suggestive of malignancy in 62% of cases in which it was obtained, and cytology was positive in 70% of specimens obtained by fine-needle aspiration. Despite general opinion that breast in young women are relatively dense, mammography is appropriate for the diagnosis of breast carcinoma even in younger women. Supplemented with echography and fine needle aspiration, mammography can be and should be used for investigation of breast with palpable nodules in young women.