Breast cancers in women 35 years of age and younger: mammographic findings

Article Abstract:

Breast cancer in women under 35 years of age is rare. Routine mammography (X-ray of the breasts) is not considered useful for this younger group of women because of the rarity of such cancer and because the ability of mammography to detect cancer in younger, denser breasts is questionable. Most cancers in this age group are discovered by clinical examination and subsequent biopsy. Varying results have been reported by studies concerning the effectiveness of mammography in detecting breast cancer in young women. The mammograms of 89 women (all under 35 years of age) who had clinically confirmed breast cancers were reviewed to assess the ability of mammography to detect breast cancer in younger women. Additional data were also examined. The results indicated that the patients under 35 represented 4.4 percent of breast cancer patients. A family history of breast cancer was noted in 27 percent of the patients. Only slightly more than half the patients had dense breast tissue. Mammographic findings were positive for all but 11 percent of the patients; most of these patients had dense breast tissue. Positive findings on mammogram included either an ill-defined or well-defined mass or calcifications. These findings demonstrate that mammography can play an important role in diagnosing breast cancer in younger women. Even in women with dense breasts, mammography was successful in detecting cancer in 75 percent of the patients. The authors do not recommend mammography for screening women under 35 on a regular basis. However, they do suggest that mammography is useful for screening young women who are at a high risk for breast cancer and for providing further evaluation of any suspicious breast lump or mass. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Demographic aspects, Mammography

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Ductal carcinoma in situ: atypical mammographic appearances

Article Abstract:

The ideal use of mammography is to diagnose breast cancer in its early, most curable stages. Intraductal carcinoma, also called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), is a noninvasive form of breast cancer. It is believed that some cases of DCIS progress to invasive carcinoma, however this process is not well understood. To improve the diagnostic standards for evaluating DCIS by mammography researchers examined mammograms from 190 women with DCIS which had been previously confirmed by biopsy. The mammograms of 117 women which showed the typical suspicious clustered microcalcifications of DCIS were excluded from the study. Evaluation of the remaining mammograms demonstrated that DCIS may appear as a focal asymmetric region of widened ducts and nodules in the breast; these types of DCIS images may be mistaken for normal mammograms. Researchers reported that when an asymmetric prominent ductal or nodular pattern is associated with a palpable breast mass or bloody discharge (from the nipple) it should be assumed that the patient has a malignancy. High-quality mammographic equipment in conjunction with breast-cancer screening has improved detection of DCIS which accounts for 13.8 to 20 percent of all cancers. Mastectomy has been the treatment of choice for DCIS, but some patients are now offered breast-conserving surgery which may be accompanied by radiation therapy. Because DCIS is usually a multifocal carcinoma the use of mammography is especially important in pre-operative planning. Improved knowledge of DCIS mammographic findings will aid in the early diagnosis of this generally curable cancer.

Management, Cancer, Mastectomy, Cancer diagnosis, Carcinoma, Ductal, Ductal carcinoma

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