ANNUAL CLINICAL EXAMINATION - BEST AVAILABLE SCREENING-TEST FOR BREAST-CANCER

MAMMOGRAPHY is a rewarding method of screening for breast cancer.1 However, surgeons have been disturbed by the fact that many clinically detected small solid breast lumps not demonstrated by mammography are found to be malignant on biopsy. We therefore carried out a prospective study to determine the sensitivity of four screening methods — annual clinical examination, mammography, thermography and breast self-examination — in the detection of cancer of the breast. Our results demonstrate that the most rewarding screening tool is clinical examination. Methods From the patients referred to St. Michael's Hospital Breast Clinic over the past six years, we selected. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.