Breast cancer screening programmes: benefits outweigh harm
A major review of breast cancer screening services in Europe, jointly led by researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, has concluded that the benefits of screening in terms of lives saved outweigh the harms caused by over-diagnosis.
The results, which are published in a special supplement of The Journal of Medical Screening today (Thursday), show that for every 1,000 women screened every two years from the age of 50 to the age of about 68-69, between seven and nine lives would be saved, and four cases would be over-diagnosed.
The European Screening Network (EUROSCREEN) working group, with members from nine European countries where outcome of screening programmes have been assessed, reviewed the estimates of benefit in published European studies in terms of breast cancer deaths prevented, and the major harms, in particular, the rates of what are called “over-diagnosed” cancers.
Read the whole article at ecancer.org
Reference
- Paci, E. on behalf of EUROSCREEN Working Group (2012). Summary of the evidence of breast cancer service screening outcomes in Europe and first estimate of the benefit and harm balance sheet Journal of Medical Screening DOI: 10.1258/jms.2012.012077
- Hackshaw, A. (2012). The benefits and harms of mammographic screening for breast cancer: building the evidence base using service screening programmes Journal of Medical Screening DOI: 10.1258/jms.2012.012074
- Broeders, M. (2012). The impact of mammographic screening on breast cancer mortality in Europe: a review of observational studies Journal of Medical Screening DOI: 10.1258/jms.2012.012078
- Hofvind, S. (2012). False-positive results in mammographic screening for breast cancer in Europe: a literature review and survey of service screening programmes Journal of Medical Screening DOI: 10.1258/jms.2012.012083
Keywords: breast cancer screening, benefits, overdiagnosis
13. 9. 2012 ecancer.org
