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Published on: August 30, 2013
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[The effectiveness of the Hungarian mammography screening program]
Éva Belicza1,2, Cecília Surján1, Viktor Dombrádi1,3
11 Semmelweis Egyetem, Egészségügyi Közszolgálati Kar, Egészségügyi Menedzserképző Központ Budapest, Kútvölgyi út 2., 1125 Magyarország.
Orvosi Hetilap
|October 26, 2025
Summary
Hungarian mammography screening for breast cancer shows clear survival benefits, detecting cancers earlier and reducing mortality compared to unscreened individuals. However, declining screening rates and coding issues require urgent attention to improve program effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Radiology
Background:
- Mammography screening for early breast cancer detection has been available in Hungary for women aged 45–65 since 2002.
- The Hungarian national mammography screening program's effectiveness requires ongoing assessment.
- Decreasing screening participation rates pose a challenge to public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the Hungarian mammography screening program's effectiveness.
- To analyze the relationship between screening participation, breast cancer detection, and patient health outcomes.
- To identify factors influencing screening frequency and patient survival.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the National Health Insurance Fund for women aged 45–64 (2010–2021).
- Assessment of screening frequency and regularity by age and region.
- Classification of breast cancer patients (2013–2020) by molecular subtype and analysis of metastasis and mortality rates in relation to screening status.
Main Results:
- Screening rates are declining, with lower participation among younger women.
- Women who participated in screening had significantly lower rates of metastasis and mortality (1- and 3-year rates: 1.2% and 5.3%) compared to unscreened women (6.5% and 16.6%).
- Screen-detected cancers were most common in Luminal A subtypes, while triple-negative and HER2-enriched subtypes showed higher mortality.
Conclusions:
- Mammography screening offers significant survival benefits for breast cancer patients in Hungary.
- Improving screening participation rates is crucial for earlier disease detection and better patient outcomes.
- Further research is needed on optimizing screening frequency for high-risk individuals, and coding practices require enhancement.
