[Systematic mammographic screening for breast cancer in asymptomatic women]

It appears that the mortality rate from breast cancer decreases in 50-year-old (and over) women submitted to mammographic screening. Since 1980, the Unit of Cancer Prevention of the UCL is proposing mammographic screening to women with normal clinical examination but belonging to a "high-risk" group. Among the 5651 mammographies which were performed on 2924 women, 24 biopsies have been proposed and 16 cases of cancer have been diagnosed. 5.5% breast cancers have been detected. This result is consistent with the average figures reported in the screening programmes abroad. Questions about the age at which cancer screening should start and about the number of views that should be taken are also discussed.