Nonpalpable Breast Carcinomas: Long-Term Evaluation of 1,258 Cases

Introduction. In recent decades, a steady improvement in imaging diagnostics has been observed together with a rising adherence to regular clinical breast examinations. As a result, the detection of small clinically occult (nonpalpable) lesions has progressively increased. At present in our institution some 20% of the cases are treated when nonpalpable. The aim of the present study is to analyze the characteristics and prognosis of such tumors treated in a single institution. Methods.Theanalysisfocusedon1,258womenwhopresented at the European Institute of Oncology with a primary clinically occult carcinoma between 2000 and 2006. All patients underwent radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL), axillary dissection when appropriate, whole breast radiotherapy, or partial breast intraoperative irradiationandreceivedtailoredadjuvantsystemictreatment. Results. Median age was 56 years. Imaging showed a