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Renate G. Justin, MD
Terre Haute, Ind

JAMA. 1977;238(5):397-398.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

In the article "Detection of Breast Cancer in Young Women" (237:967, 1977), Lesnick states that 84% of the women in his series detected their own lesions. This figure agrees with that stated by others.¹ The experience in a family practice (rather than a surgical practice) is different. During approximately the same years (1962 to 1977) as those studied by Lesnick, 29 women who had cancer of the breast were seen in family practice. Their ages ranged from 30 to 83 years. In this group, only ten (34%) of the patients found their own lesions; nineteen (66%) were detected by the physician on routine physical examination.

Thirteen of the 29 women had mammography or xeromammography. Four examinations were positive; nine were negative. This agrees with Lesnick's findings of 69% failure to demonstrate the cancer by roentgenogram. Twelve (41%) of the 29 patients had positive nodes at the . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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