Test Performance of Clinical Breast Examinations at Group Health Cooperative from 1992–1994.
| Age | Sensitivity* (%) | Specificity† (%) | Positive Predictive Value‡ (%) | Incremental Increase in Case Finding§ (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–49 yr | 37.5 | 96.5 | 2.1 | 8.3 |
| 50–64 yr | 36.0 | 97.3 | 8.8 | 9.6 |
| 65–74 yr | 23.6 | 97.3 | 9.3 | 3.7 |
| 75+ yr | 30.6 | 97.5 | 9.9 | 8.1 |
| All ages combined | 30.6 | 97.1 | 7.1 | 7.0 |
Note: all clinical breast examinations (CBEs) were performed by registered nurses in screening centers. Only invasive breast cancers were analyzed. A total of 42,647 women had CBEs and 297 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed, screened and nonscreened.
* Sensitivity—percent of invasive breast cancers detected by CBE, unrelated to mammography.
† Specificity—percent of women without invasive breast cancer with normal findings on CBE.
‡ Positive predictive value—percent of positive CBEs that were invasive breast cancer.
§ Percent of cases of breast cancer found by CBE alone, eg, mammography negative and CBE.