[Cytological, bioptical and cytophotometric studies on tumors of the breast (author's transl)].

209 mammary biopsies were evaluated by cytological and histological methods. 23 of them were analysed by microspectrophotometry. 9,5% of the cases could be classified as Papanicolaou III. At one hand the mammary carcinomas of this group were underestimated, on the other hand fibroadenomas and hyperplastic lesions of cystic disease of the breast were overevaluated. The DNA-histograms of these fibroadenomas and hyperplastic lesions reflect closely the tendency of proliferation of epithelium and correspond with the cytomorphological findings, a reliable differentiation of these diseases on the basis of a tumor-histogram is not possible. False negative tumor histograms are particularly found in high differentiated carcinomas. In the other groups the cytological findings were in agreement with histological examination in 92-98% of the cases.