Mediolateral and craniocaudal film-screen mammograms and a mediolateral noncontact xeromammogram obtained for 53 women with breast cancer were randomly evaluated, alone and in combination, by four mammographers in a blind, randomized fashion. Cancer detection was improved the greater the number of views evaluated. Certain cancers, by virtue of their position in the breast, can be obscured by superimposed dysplastic tissue on one view while being detectable on another which images the breast in a different projection. Some cancers posterolaterally located within the breast may be obscured by the rib cage on the mediolateral noncontact xeromammogram, but may be easily identified on the mediolateral or craniocaudal film-screen mammograms. Other posteriorly situated carcinomas may be projected off the film edge on the mediolateral and craniocaudal film-screen mammograms performed with compression, but may be imaged on the mediolateral noncontact xeromammogram. Xeromammography better images fine detail and microcalcifications, while film-screen mammography permits greater broad-area contrast. A combined film-screen/xeromammographic examination optimizes complementary projections and imaging techniques.