title: Staging procedures in primary breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In consideration of increasing incidence by introduction of screening mammography, the prevalence of distant metastases and necessity of staging procedures in early breast cancer should be proved.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review was undertaken of 466 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer in the period from 2003 to 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Distant metastases were found in 22 (4.8%) patients at the time of primary diagnosis of breast cancer. None of these patients had a tumour < or =1 cm and the percentage of metastatic disease increased with local extension (pT1 1.4%; pT2 7.9%; pT3 14.3%; pT4 23.1%; p<0.001) and nodal status (pN0 1.7%; pN1 3.8%; pN2 21.7%; pN3 17.6%; p<0.001)
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Indication for bone scan, liver ultrasound and chest x-ray should be limited to patients with tumours >2 cm, or tumours >1 cm with lymph node involvement (N1-3).
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany. dm022587@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ohlinger