title: Role of galactography in the early diagnosis of breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of galactography (GL) in the early diagnosis of breast cancer in patients with pathologic nipple discharge (PND).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively studied all galactograms obtained in 117 women with PND, who subsequently had a biopsy. The findings detected in the galactograms of the patients in this study were assigned to different categories of the Galactogram Image Classification System (GICS): GICS 2, benign; GICS 3, probably benign; GICS 4, suspicious for malignancy; and GICS 5, highly suspicious for malignancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The galactograms were classified into GICS 2 (29 cases; 24.7%), GICS 3 (42 cases; 35.8%), GICS 4 (30 cases; 25.6%), and GICS 5 (16 cases; 13.6%). A good correlation was observed between histological diagnosis and GICS categories (p < 0.05). All cases diagnosed with carcinoma (n = 18) were classified in GICS categories 4-5: ductal carcinoma in situ in 14 cases (11.9%) and invasive carcinoma in 4 cases (3.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GL is a useful procedure in the early diagnosis of breast cancer in patients with PND.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, El Palmar (Murcia), Spain.
authors.forename: Juan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Berná-Serna
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, El Palmar (Murcia), Spain.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torres-Ales
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, El Palmar (Murcia), Spain.
authors.forename: Juan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Berná-Mestre
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, El Palmar (Murcia), Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Polo
keywords: GICS; Galactogram Imaging Classification System; Galactography; Histopathologic diagnosis; Pathologic nipple discharge