[Diagnosis of breast carcinoma. Comparison of clinical, mammographic, echographic and cytological aspiration diagnosis in a group of 50 patients]. / Diagnosi del carcinoma mammario. Confronto tra esame clinico, mammografico, ecografico e citoaspirato in un gruppo di 50 pazienti.

The study assesses the sensitivity of clinical, mammographic, echographic and needle biopsy tests in a sample group of 50 women some of whom were examined and operated by the Surgical Division of Casalpusterlengo Hospital, whereas others were examined and operated at Crema Hospital. Data were compared with those from larger studies recently reported in the literature. Patients had a minimum age of 42 years and a mean age of 64.3 years; all were symptomatic. Clinical examination, mammography and echotomography showed an increased sensitivity in parallel with the increased size of tumour and the patient's age. The sensitivity of mammography in T1 cases was higher than that of clinical examination and ultrasound tests. Diagnosis was made on cytological grounds alone in 2% of cases, but was negative in 14% (benign/inadequate sample) in spite of the presence of a positive clinical examination and mammography. A 90.4% sensitivity rate was achieved using a combined clinical examination and mammography.

[Echography in the diagnosis of breast cancer]. / L'ecografia nella diagnosi del cancro mammario.

Fifty-one patients with clinically palpable breast cancer were examined using small-parts echotomography. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of overall diagnosis were assessed in the two groups of patients: T1 (diameter less than 2 cm) and T2-T3-T4 (diameter greater than 2 cm). The frequency of the main echographic signs associated with breast cancer was also investigated. Diagnostic accuracy was found to be high in the T2-T3-T4 group (93%), but very low in the T1 group (71%). The study confirms the importance of ultrasound as an additional test in the study of breast cancer. However, this method becomes increasingly less sensitive and specific as the size of the tumour decreases.