[Clinical detection of 2,511 breast cancers 1977-1986. Efficiency of legal early cancer detection studies].

From 1977 to 1986, inclusively, 2511 patients with breast cancer were analysed. The following factors were evaluated: patients attitude toward screening programs, the method of cancer detection, the relation between tumor-size and axillary nodes metastases and efficiency of the currently in Germany used screening program. 65.9% of the patients underwent regular annual preventive physical examination, 15.2% irregular and 18.9% no examination. Only 12.7% of cancers were detected through the screening program, in 85% the patients discovered their tumors. Cancers up to 0.5 cm had in 25% lymph-nodes metastases and tumors up to 1.0 cm had in 27% of cases axillary nodes metastases. Breast cancers between 1.1 cm and 2.0 cm had a bad prognosis: the axillary metastases occurred in 34%-45%. Surprisingly, there were no differences in tumor size, percentage of residual tumor and frequency of axillary lymph-nodes metastases between patients who took regularly part in preventive physical examination and those never taking part. Women who irregularly participated in the program had the most unfavourable prognosis.