[Problems and limits of mammographic cancer diagnosis. Comparison of preoperative radiologic diagnosis with histologic findings in 335 patients with subcutaneous mastectomy].

Subcutaneous mastectomy was performed in 335 patients between 1974 and 1982. In 265 of these, original mammographies were available which were analysed retrospectively and compared with the final histological finding of the subcutaneous mastectomy preparation. The rate of newly discovered non-invasive carcinomas in this was 11%, whereas the rate of invasive carcinomas was 8%. Radiological criteria: high degree of dysplasia, difficult assessment and mastopathy associated with large cysts, are associated with a significantly increased number of malignant histological findings. The radiological criteria of mastopathy, such as adenosis, fibrosis, indurating oedema of stroma, small-cyst mastopathy, as well as parenchymal patterns according to Wolfe, are not important with regard to our group of patients in respect of further selection of risk patients. Criteria of malignancy which are typical of carcinoma, are on the whole rarely recognised, because their assessment is often difficult. In patients with preceding carcinoma of the other breast, indication for subcutaneous mastectomy in case of "unclear" mammography has proved justified: In 4 out of 18 cases, a non-invasive or invasive carcinoma was found. Indication for primary subcutaneous mastectomy was too liberal in case mammography had been assessed as "benign", for the carcinoma rate was only 1/73. In radiologically "unclear" findings, the number of subsequently discovered non-invasive and invasive carcinomas was distinctly higher (in each case 6 out of 58). In such cases an attempt should be made to confirm preoperative diagnosis by means of additive measures before performing subcutaneous mastectomy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)