PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - L. Mahoney
AU  - A. Csima
TI  - Efficiency of palpation in clinical detection of breast cancer
DP  - 1982 Oct 15
TA  - Canadian Medical Association Journal
PG  - 729--730
VI  - 127
IP  - 8
4099  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/127/8/729.short
4100  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/127/8/729.full
SO  - CMAJ1982 Oct 15; 127
AB  - An annual clinical screening test for breast cancer must be simple, brief and efficient. The traditional physical examination of the breast is time-consuming, mainly because of the complicated maneuvers necessary to inspect for retraction. Palpation with the patient supine, however, can be performed quickly. Of 286 primary breast cancers 96% (275) were palpable as a lump, and this was the only clinical sign in 55%. Retraction was the sole clinical sign in only 1%. The combination of retraction and a solid lump is a very specific but not very sensitive test for breast cancer. Retraction in this series was not related to the size of the primary tumour but among the women with a cancerous breast lump was significantly more likely to be found in those over 44 years of age, being present in 52% of these women but only 10% of the younger women. Inspection of the breast can therefore safely be detected from screening breast examinations, whether performed by the physician or the patient.