Post screen-detected breast cancer within the Screening Mammography Program of British Columbia

The histological characteristics and extent of mammographic density were compared between 170 post screen-detected (PSD) breast cancers and 466 screen-detected (SD) breast cancers in women attending the Screening Mammography Program of British Columbia. In addition, methods of detection and clinical presentation for the PSD cancers were examined. Invasive ductal, comedo, and medullary carcinoma were significantly more common in PSD cancer in women under age 50 years, and invasive ductal carcinoma in women over age 50 years. Mammographic density was more common in PSD cancers for all age groups under 70 years. The majority of PSD cancers were node negative with no evidence of metastases; however, they tended to be of more advanced stage than SD cancer. Most PSD cancers regardless of age were initially found by the woman herself, presenting as a palpable mass, and the likelihood of being detected within 12 months of the last screening mammogram was higher at younger ages.