[Senology--a word becomes a concept].

Diseases of the female breast represent the highest percentage of patients in the field of gynaecological oncology. The gynaecologist himself therefore becomes the most important person on reference for the patients. The expression "senology" is a collective term for the various aspects of science and teaching in the field of breast diseases. For over 20 years gynaecologists in the BRD, Switzerland and France have been working to an increasing extent on this important field of medical interest in gynaecology. In 1973 the Ist University Department of Gynaecology in Vienna started up this new development with a diagnostic breast center. Since 1979 the entire diagnostic procedure and therapy including cancer operations and postoperative treatment and follow up is performed at this clinic. More than 30,000 women were investigated over this period and more than 1,000 patients with breast cancer were surgically treated. At the moment about 30% of operations represent breast operations and 70% of cancer operations are cases of breast cancer. This situation entails a large amount of practical work, but also provides a good scientific output for the senological team of the clinic.