CLINICAL ANALYSIS OF BREAST CANCER ACCORDING TO THE SIZE OF TUMORS

429 patients operated on for primary breast cancer during the recent 9 years were analyzed both clinically and pathologically according to the size of tumors. The cases with tumors smaller than 1.0cm in diameter were 10.1% of all the cases. Percentages and degree of the metastases to the axillary lymph nodes were low in smaller tumors. Histologically, non-infiltrating and papillo-tubular carcinomas were found in 46.5% of the tumors smaller than 1.0 cm while in 16.9% of those more than 1.1cm. Generally, cases with smaller tumors showed favorable prognosis. However, the smaller the size of the tumors, the more difficult was the diagnosis, and the more frequent was biopsy employed. Drill needle biopsy appears available with a high successful rate (87.5%) even in smaller ones less than 1cm.