Kvinnor med Mastalgi, en patientgrupp med stor oro. Vad visade mammografin? En retrospektiv studie
Introduction: Breast pain, mastalgia, is a common problem for many women. The pain can cause so much concern that the woman seeks help in health care. The cause of concern is often that that the pain may be due to breast cancer. Women with mastalgia are referred for mammography to investigate the cause of the pain. Experience says that the mammography is mostly normal.Aim: The aim of the study was to get an overall picture of the results of the mammograms performed on Mammography SU / Sahlgrenska in 2011. The patients included had no other symptoms than pain, soreness, discomfort or a feeling of heaviness in the breasts. How many of the patients had breast cancer?Methods: The study had an empirical approach and was a retrospective registry study in which data were collected from Mammography SU medical record Sectra RIS Client. A total of 467 women, aged 25 to 88 years, were included.Result: The results showed that women with mastalgia did not have more cases of breast cancer than the women examined in the general mammography screening. The youngest woman with breast cancer was 54 years.Discussion: Mastalgia with no other symptoms other than pain, soreness, discomfort or heaviness in the breasts is not a symptom of breast cancer. Should women still be referred for mammography and be exposed to X-rays, particularly younger women whose breast tissue is more sensitive to X-rays? Is mammography the only way to exclude malignancy and thus take away the concern?