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[Analysis of a program of early breast cancer detection in a rural area]
A Escribano-Hernández1, J Domínguez-Bidagor, J Ferrándiz-Santos
1Técnicos de la Unidad de Calidad de la Gerencia, INSALUD-Madrid.
Objective:
To find the results of a breast cancer early-detection programme run in a rural area, in terms of the activities corresponding to primary care.
Design:
Cross-sectional, observational study.
Setting:
Rural district in Primary Care Area 11, Madrid. The programme was run in this area between 1st February and 31st March 1999.
Patients:
Women from 50 to 64, both inclusive, who had been called for a mammography.
Interventions:
Inclusion in the breast cancer early-detection programme and open telephone survey of those who did not take part to find the reasons for not taking part in the randomised sample.
Measurements And Main Results:
In the period mentioned, 3902 women were called for screening (60.07% of all women between 50 and 64. The rest will be called in a second round in the year 2000). 2099 women attended for mammography (participation index 53.79%), with the following results: 5 (0.24%) highly likely to be malignant; 6 (0.29%) probably malignant; 172 (8.19%) probably benign; 1393 (66.36%) found to be benign; 438 (20.87%) negative; and 85 (4.05%) who needed further evaluation. The main reasons why 46.21% of the women called did not attend for mammography were: they had had one recently (29.9%); could not attend (22.7%); did not want to have one (17.5%); had not received the notification (17.5%).
Conclusions:
The participation rate was acceptable, with fewer malignant cases found than in other programmes. It would be important to call again those women who could not attend.