[The significance of X-ray diagnosis of breast diseases].

In general, the breasts themselves of Japanese women are small because their breast fatty tissues are not so developed as those of Caucasian women. Therefore, conventional mammogram tends to show a poor contrast of a tumor in the surrounding breast tissues. In order to overcome the poor contrast, we have been taking the picture of compression spot by a special small cone. Our compression spot studies made it possible to show the margin of the tumor shadow more clearly and to reveal the features of minute calcification more precisely. As the results of our experience using these procedures, we believe that the compression spot studies following the conventional mammograms are the most useful diagnostic technique for breast cancers. In addition to describe the clinical significance of the X-ray examination for breast cancers, we also discuss the mammographical differential diagnosis between the cancers and benign lesions mimicking cancers.