Based on certain selection criteria, 300 consecutive mammograms were reviewed, together with other relevant clinical and pathological data. The median age (± SD) of eligible women was 36.11 (± 11.2 years). Saudis represented 65% (196 women) of the study population and non-Saudis 35% (104 women). Seventy-three women (24%) had normal findings but fibrocystic disease was found in 177 (59%), invasive carcinoma in 26 (9%), and fibroadenoma in 24 (8%). Ninety-nine percent of the mammograms were ordered in women who had had breast symptoms for several months. Cancer patients had been aware of their breast lump for a mean of 8.04 ± 2.11 (SD) months. All cancers were invasive and most (92.3%) were advanced at diagnosis. Among the 177 patients with fibrocystic disease, only six (3%) were found to have atypical hyperplasia, but its prevalence is lower than that reported recently. Agreement between final and mammographic diagnoses was significant (P = 0.027). Also shown were the high specificity (79%), sensitivity (100%), and accuracy (89%) of mammograms in cancer patients. The ability of mammography to show malignancy was proven by multiple regression analysis. Our data taken from a sample of women seen at a tertiary care facility shed some light on the pattern of breast disorders in our patient population. The data should be utilized in the planning for a national breast cancer early detection program.AY El-Hassan, FA Al-Mulhim, EM Ibrahim, MS Al-Awami, Retrospective Appraisal of 300 Consecutive Mammograms. 1990; 10(3): 285-290 Radiographic examination of the breast is not a new procedure. The first mammographie study was made by Salomon in 1913 and the first clinical paper on the subject was published in 1930 by Warren.1 Since then, mammography has proved its value in the diagnosis of various breast diseases. However, it was not until 1956 that the procedure was introduced for the mass screening of healthy women in the early detection of breast cancer.
2Analysis of data derived from these major screening projects has shown an unequivocal benefit for women older