Early detection of occult breast cancer: the York experience with 678 needle localization biopsies.

Mammographic needle localized breast biopsies (NLB) have been shown in university referral practices to allow early detection of occult neoplasms. A 6 year experience with NLB in a large community hospital with 678 patients is presented. Seventy eight (11.5%) proved to be cancer. Eighty nine per cent were node negative. A total of 70.5 per cent were "minimal" breast cancer. In the final year of the study, occult neoplasms comprised 25.5 per cent of newly diagnosed breast cancers. An aggressive biopsy policy toward mammographic abnormalities can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of malignant neoplasms at a favorable stage.