TRIPLE ASSESSMENT IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CARCINOMA BREAST: MAMMOGRAPHY ALONGWITH CLINICAL SYMPTOMATOLOGY

Triple Assessment in Carcinoma Breast

Abstract

Objective: To determine the clinical symptoms and mammographic findings in patients of carcinoma breast.

Study Design: Validation study.

Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Radiology and Imaging Rawalpindi, from January 2011 to Dec 2011.

Patients and Methods: Women of > 30 years of age including premenopausal and postmenopausal with positive findings on histopathology were included in the study. Pregnant women, breast-feeding women, women younger than 30 years old (in whom only sonography was performed) were excluded from the study. Total 57 female patients were included in the study through non-probability consecutive sampling.

Results: Mean age of the patients was 52.8 years (SD = 10.3). Age range of the patients was between 32–72 years. Maximum patients were in the age group of 40 - 50 years. A total of  42.1% patients reported with complaint of lump and mastalgia while 29.8% with lump alone. As far as mammographic findings are concerned speculated mass with axillary lymphadenopathy was the major finding. Histopathological results showed that most common malignant mass was invasive ductal carcinoma (89.5%).

Conclusion: Mammography is the mainstay for evaluation of breast cancer but only patients with the complaints of lump and mastalgia should be evaluated through mammography to avoid unnecessary evaluation.