BILATERAL BREAST-CANCER - EARLY DETECTION WITH MAMMOGRAPHY

PURPOSE: To assess the contribution of mammography in the detection of cancer in the contralateral breast in women with bilateral breast can cer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mammograms and clinical records of 77 pati ents with bilateral breast cancer were reviewed in a retrospective stu dy. RESULTS: The contralateral cancer was defected at mammography in 6 8 of 77 patients (88%) and identified at mammography alone in 50 patie nts (65%). No statistically significant differences in either mammogra phic detection rates or stage of the contralateral cancer were noted i n patients younger than 50 years (n = 25) compared with those 50 years of age or older (n = 52). Cancers detected at annual screening mammog raphy were of lower stage than cancers in unscreened patients. In the screened group, 41% of tumors were ductal carcinoma in situ alone and 23% were stage II or III, compared with 22% and 50%, respectively, in the unscreened group. CONCLUSION: Mammographic examination and follow- up in patients with unilateral breast cancer allow detection of the ma jority of contralateral breast cancers and earlier stage cancers.