Breast cancer screening in Tel Aviv

Optimal breast cancer screening includes both physical examination and mammography. In anticipation of the addition of routine mammographic screening to Israel's 25-year-old early breast cancer detection program, we examined the demographic characteristics of almost one thousand women attending a breast cancer screening examination in Tel Aviv for the first time. The specific objective of the survey was to see whether women attending screening were those who stood a good chance of benefiting from it. Only half the women were aged 40 or older, and there was a preponderance of women of Western origin. Almost half had a breast-related complaint at the time of the visit. Targeted public education and appropriate administrative measures are necessary to ensure that women who can benefit from screening attend screening clinics and that clinics are not filled to capacity by women needing diagnostic evaluation and followup rather than routine screening. Tel Aviv general practitioners appeared to be aware of the advantages of breast cancer screening.