[Mammographic screening does not reduce breast cancer mortality]

The outcome of a Swedish mammographic screening programme has been studied by analysis of official health statistics for 1987-96. The study series comprised 605,260 women (70 per cent of those aged 50-69 years at inclusion in the mammography programme), representing 4,908,176 woman-years, 1,932,353 mammographies, and 6,713 deaths due to breast cancer. The observed number of deaths was 55 (0.8%) less than would have been expected had the screening not been performed (ns), whereas findings in the Two County Council study suggest that the reduction in mortality should have been 28 per cent (n = 739) for the group and period studied. Thus, the cost of saving a single life was estimated to have been SEK 18-25 million (approximately GBP 1.3(1.8 m. USD 2.36(3.17 m).