Mammography 1984: challenge to radiology.

Mammography has made major contributions in the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. It is the only reliable means of detecting nonpalpable cancers and can detect many small breast cancers in early stages, when they may be curable. It should be applied more widely, especially in screening asymptomatic women aged 40 or over. Restraints on its optimal application to the control of breast cancer are the expense of examination and the lack of properly trained and committed radiologists. These are challenges to radiology that must be addressed.