Table 3.
Descriptive statistics of symptoms and signs in relation to breast cancer in validation cohort.
| Explanatory variable | Number of patients | Number with cancer (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of patients | 97 | 5(5) |
| Age, years | ||
| 25–39 | 28 | 0 (0) |
| 40–49 | 31 | 2 (6) |
| 50–59 | 14 | 0 (0) |
| 60–69 | 11 | 0 (0) |
| 70–79 | 10 | 2 (20) |
| ≥80 | 3 | 1 (33) |
| Socioeconomic status (Carstairs category) | ||
| 1 | 11 | 1 (9) |
| 2 | 16 | 1 (6) |
| 3 | 41 | 3 (7) |
| 4 | 12 | 0 (0) |
| 5 | 2 | 0 (0) |
| 6 | 5 | 0 (0) |
| 7 | 1 | 0 (0) |
| Unknown | 9 | 0 (0) |
| Obesity classification | ||
| Underweight | 0 | 0 (0) |
| Healthy weight | 44 | 3 (7) |
| Overweight | 25 | 2 (8) |
| Obese | 22 | 0 (0) |
| Morbidly obese | 3 | 0 (0) |
| Not recorded | 3 | 0 (0) |
| Smoking history | ||
| Current | 25 | 1 (4) |
| Previous | 17 | 2 (12) |
| Never | 46 | 2 (4) |
| Unknown | 9 | 0 (0) |
| Menopausal status | ||
| Premenopausal | 46 | 0 (0) |
| Perimenopausal | 31 | 3 (10) |
| Postmenopausal | 17 | 2 (12) |
| Unknown | 3 | 0 (0) |
| Oral contraceptive user ever | 71 | 3 (4) |
| Hormone replacement therapy user ever | 17 | 1 (6) |
| Ever pregnant | 82 | 5 (6) |
| Number of pregnancies | ||
| 0 | 2 | 0 (0) |
| 1–3 | 62 | 5 (8) |
| ≥4 | 18 | 0 (0) |
| Past history | ||
| Any breast problems | 60 | 4 (7) |
| Previous clinic attendance | 43 | 1 (2) |
| Breast cancer | 3 | 0 (0) |
| Breast lump | 37 | 3 (8) |
| Breast abscess | 9 | 1 (11) |
| Breast pain | 41 | 1 (2) |
| Signs after examination | ||
| Discrete lump | 50 | 5 (10) |
| Thickening | 9 | 1 (11) |
| Abscess | 1 | 0 (0) |
| Breast pain | 34 | 2 (6) |
| Nipple discharge | 9 | 0 (0) |
| Nipple retraction | 5 | 0 (0) |
| Nipple eczema | 1 | 0 (0) |
| Lymphadenopathy | 5 | 2 (40) |
| Other (skin nodules, general nodularity) | 4 | 1 (25) |
| Further details on lump Lump size | ||
| <2 cm | 13 | 1 (8) |
| ≥2 cm | 14 | 2 (14) |
| Lump shape | ||
| Round, oblong mass | 8 | 2 (25) |
| Irregular | 3 | 0 (0) |
| Lump mobility | ||
| Mobile | 16 | 2 (25) |
| Tethered to skin or chest wall | 5 | 2 (40) |
| Lump texture | ||
| Smooth | 11 | 2 (18) |
| Irregular | 6 | 2 (33) |
| Spongy | 1 | 0 (0) |
| Further details on nipple discharge | ||
| Persistent | 7 | 0 (0) |
| Bloodstained | 5 | 0 (0) |
| Total number of signs | ||
| 0 | 22 | 0 (0) |
| 1 | 46 | 1 (2) |
| 2 | 18 | 2 (11) |
| 3–4 | 11 | 2 (18) |