Mammography of Breast Cancer in Women Under 30

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of mammography of breast cancer in women less than 30 years old. A retrospective record review revealed 47 breast cancers in 45 women age 29 and younger who had preoperative mammography. Patients ranged in age from 22 to 29 years (mean = 27 years). All presented with clinically evident disease. Mammography revealed focal abnormality in 26 (55.3%) of 47 cases. Specific positive mammographic findings (n = 22) included uncalcified mass in ten (45.5%), calcification without mass in nine (40.9%), mass and calcifications in two (9.1%), and skin ulceration in one. Mammographic parenchymal density ( n = 21) was P2 in 9 (42.9%) and DY in 12 (57.1%). The mean time interval from symptom onset to biopsy was 4.5 months, but was shorter if the mammogram was positive. High parenchymal density contributes to the diminished sensitivity of mammography in women under age 30. A positive mammogram may hasten the diagnosis of carcinoma in a young woman with palpable malignant breast disease.