[Screening for breast cancer: worries about its effectiveness]

Breast cancer screening in France is done though two parallel systems: individualized screening and a national programme of organized screening. The latter is free of charge and manages a double-reading of mammography films. Since 2004, a steadily greater proportion of French women 50 to 74 years of age participate to the national programme. Justification of screening in France is based on Swedish randomised trials that documented the ability of mammography screening to reduce the risk to die from breast cancer. However, since 3 years, a growing number of studies indicate that screening seems not to have much influence on the incidence of advanced breast cancer and on mortality from breast cancer Moreover, numerous breast cancers are detected that would have never clinically surfaced and would have never been life threatening (overdiagnosis). In view of current doubts, it is better to inform women on health benefits, limitations and possible side effects of mammography screening. For women willing to be screened, it is recommended to invite them to participate to the national programme.