Associated morbidity in screened and diagnosed breast cancer patients: a retrospective study

Breast cancer (BC) screening has been associated with reduced mortality and morbidity. This study compares tumor characteristics and treatment morbidity in screened versus diagnosed women.

This retrospective study, conducted between 2010 and 2013, included 666 BC screened or diagnosed patients. We compared patients and tumors characteristics and received treatments. We also analyzed the results after excluding patients at risk of BC and conducted a multivariate analysis to assess odds ratios (OR).

Screened women had smaller tumors (16,5 vs 22,6 mm, p < 0.001), of lower grade (p < 0.001) with a lower proliferation index (PI) (p < 0.001) than diagnosed women. Screened women were more frequently treated using conservative surgery (82.8% vs 59.7%, p < 0.001), needed less often axillary dissection (15.1% vs 35.4%, p < 0.001) and less often chemotherapy (20.8% vs 48.3% p < 0.001) than diagnosed women. In the multivariate analysis after adjustment for age and BC history, diagnosed women had increased (OR: 4.79, 95% IC: 3.19-7,18) risk to be administered chemotherapy and to undergo axillary dissection (OR: 4.18, 95% IC: 1.56-11.17) than screened women.

Patients should be informed about the benefits in terms of morbidity that screening confers to them.