[A cytologic diagnosis of breast secretions--application of cytology to the mass survey of breast cancer].

From January 1982 to March 1987, an exfoliative cytological examination of abnormal nipple discharge was carried out on 790 patients. Of 22 histologically confirmed mammary carcinomas, 7 cases (31.8%) were diagnosed as positive by conventional cytologic techniques. By using the concentration method, in which the nipple secretion was collected in a series of testings that lasted 3 to 5 days and stored in a glass tube containing a fixative, the diagnostic accuracy was seen to increase significantly and 9 out of 15 malignant cases (60.0%) were accurately diagnosed as having cancer. Moreover, all 5 cases without any palpable mass were found to be positive by the smears made by this procedure.