Should mammographic screening be done in primary ovarian cancer?

Abstract

Breast cancer is a significant global health problem. It is the most common malignancy in women. Mammographic screening is recommended for women older than 40 yr for early detection of breast cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of screening mammography in ovarian cancer independent of age. Eighty-four patients with ovarian cancer were evaluated with bilateral mammography. Two hundred asymptomatic healthy controls with a similar age distribution were also imaged with screening mammography. Mammography results were classified according to the American College of Radiology criteria in five groups. The median age of the study group was 51.4 (range, 27-77) and 49.3 (range, 30-75) in the control group. Screening mammography detected four cases of malignancy (4.8%) in patients with ovarian cancer; two were the primary breast carcinomas (2.5%) and two were metastatic cancers from the ovary. Five subjects (2.5%) among healthy controls were also found to have breast cancer. Although the incidence of primary breast carcinoma was found to be similar in the two groups (2.5%), mammographic imaging detected metastatic disease to the breast from the ovaries. Mammography should therefore be considered in patients with ovarian cancer independent of age.