PERFORMANCE OF CLINICAL EXAMINATION OF THE BREAST FOR DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST NODULES
Keywords:
breast neoplasms, breast lump, clinical examination, diagnosis, differentialAbstract
There is an increasing number of breast cancer cases each year, and its majority has been diagnosed upon the existence of a palpable breast module. In these cases, the clinical examination approach can be helpful, provided it presents a good performance for this diagnosis. This prospective study evaluated sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of clinical examination in the diferential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast nodules. One hundred and two women with palpable breast masses and over 30 years old were evaluated. The clinical examination showed a sensitivity of93%, specificity of94%, positive predictive value of79% and negative predictive value of86%. When compared to other two exams (mammography andfine-needle aspiration biopsy), there was no significant diference concerning sensitivity of these exams for the diagnosis of malignant breast nodules. The clinical examination of breast is highly important, specially taking into account the little availability of propedeutic exams in our country.
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References
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