title: The role of mammography in evaluating patients with early carcinoma of the breast for tylectomy and radiation therapy.
abstract: The value of mammography in treatment planning for early breast cancer following excisional biopsy was studied in 38 patients. One-third of the post-biopsy mammograms yielded information useful for therapy or follow-up, specifically the presence or absence of gross residual tumor [11] and detection of occult lesions in the opposite breast or axillary nodes [3]. They also proved valuable as base-line studies, since scars seen on post-therapy mammograms may simulate new or recurrent tumor [3]. Approximately half [21] of the post-biopsy studies were nondiagnostic because of dense parenchyma [14] or biopsy-related distortion [7]. Four were considered falsely positive for residual tumor. These results indicate that mammography can contribute significantly to the management of patients undergoing tylectomy and primary radiotherapy for breast cancer.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014984:Xeromammography