Perioperative screening for metastatic disease is not indicated in patients with primary breast cancer and no clinical signs of tumor spread.

Background: Is a perioperative metastatic screening program indicated in patients presenting with primary operable breast cancer and no signs of distant metastases?

Patients And Methods: The impact of staging results (chest X-ray, bone scanning, liver ultrasound) for prognosis, treatment, quality of life and costs was retrospectively analyzed in 1076 patients with an operable breast cancer and no clinical signs of metastases.

Results: Staging examinations revealed 30 (2.8%) distant metastases, 130 (12.