Breast cancer mammography patterns.

Mammography studies, from 1963 through 1972, on 5,918 women over age 30 years with 327 breast cancer on initial studies, were prospectively categorized on a scale of 1 to 4 of increasing amounts of fibroglandular tissue. Approximately 60% of the cancers occurred in classes 1 and 2 breasts, about one-third of the patients, while 40% of the cancer were in the remaining two-thirds, comprising classes 3 and 4. There were 54 cancers that developed in breast that previously were free of symptoms, clinical signs, and x-ray abnormality. Up to 36 months one cancer was found in class 1, while 26 cancers were detected in class 4 breasts; two cancers developed in class 2 and seven in class 3. Cancers developing 38 to 88 months after normal examination had an incidence of 0.23% in combined classes 1 and 2 and an incidence of 0.21% in classes 3 and 4. Dense fibroglandular tissue delays detection of breast cancer by mammography. Apparent increase in cancer risk in such breasts is due to this delay. More than a 3-year follow-up is required to assess the life history of breast cancer by mammography.

High risk breast tumor patients.

A unique scheme for placing the most breast carcinoma patients into the least population includes newly developed systems to analyse 64 clinical and radiographic risk factors in combinations. The calibration sample consisted of 540 cancerous and 641 non-cancerous breasts. In an independent validation sample of 73 carcinoma and 462 non-carcinoma breasts, 90 percent of the potential malignant breasts were correctly classified with only 12 percent of the non-malignant breasts misclassified. Thus, the scope of prediction and delineation of malignant and non-malignant and non-malignant groups is extended.

Observations on the responsiveness of human subjects to human growth hormone. Effects of endogenous growth hormone deficiency and myotinic dystrophy.

The effect of human growth hormone (HGH) on the N, P, Na, and K balance, and on the body weight (BW) of three groups of subjects was measured. In group I were nine cases (age 6-69) with HGH deficiency; in group II, eight cases (age 9-79) with normal endogenous HGH; in group III, four cases with myotonic dystrophy (age 45-51). After a 7 day control period, the hormone was administered for 7 days. Each subject was tested with three doses of HGH: dose A, 0.0168 U/kg BW(3/4) per day; dose B, 0.0532 U/kg BW(3/4) per day; dose C, 0.168 U/kg BW(3/4) per day. In group I, the responsiveness to HGH declined with age. Two subjects aged 6 yr responded to all three doses of HGH with positive balances in N, P, Na, and K and increases in BW. At ages 15-17, responses were obtained only to doses B and C in three cases, and only to dose C in two cases. Two subjects, aged 42 and 69, responded only to dose C. Not only did the threshold dose increase with age in group I, but the magnitude of the responses declined with age as well.Patients of group II were less responsive to all doses of HGH than were patients of group I at comparable age. None responded to dose A or dose B. All responded to dose C, but the increments in balances and in BW stimulated by this dose were only one-third to one-half as great as in HGH-deficient subjects of similar age. Three patients of group III responded to all three doses of HGH, and one responded to doses B and C. The responses were similar in magnitude to those in the 6-yr old HGH-deficient children, and greater than those in all other subjects studied. These data show that responsiveness to exogenous HGH rises with deficiency of endogenous HGH, and that individuals with myotonic dystrophy are hyperresponsive to exogenous HGH.