Occult breast carcinomas detected by xeroradiography: clinical considerations.

One hundred and eighty-five breast cancers were demonstrated by xeroradiography in 6,238 patients. Sixty-two cancers were occult, and constituted one-third of the demonstrable breast cancers. Some of the patients with clinically nonpalpable carcinomas had high risk factors known to be associated with the development of breast cancer. The diagnosis was usually established and confirmed by wide excisional biopsy of the area containing the suspicious lesion. In some instances the lesion was localized preoperatively by xeroradiography using a technique of skin markings. Specimen xeroradiography was utilized if there were calcifications seen on the preoperative xeroradiograph. There was a significantly decreased incidence of axillary node metastases in the occult cases when compared to the dominant mass cases.