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Rate and classification of interval cancers in the breast screening programme
P A Sylvester1, E Kutt, A Baird
1Department of Surgery and Radiology, Bristol Royal Infirmary.
Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
|July 1, 1997
Summary
The National Breast Screening Programme detects interval breast cancers, with many classified as true or false-negative. The program
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Oncology
- Public Health
Background:
- Concerns exist regarding the incidence of interval cancers within the National Breast Screening Programme.
- Interval cancers are those detected between routine screening appointments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To audit a series of interval breast cancers.
- To determine the rate and radiological classification of these interval cancers.
- To assess performance against National Guidelines.
Main Methods:
- Prospective audit of 134 women with interval cancers.
- Radiological classification of detected tumors.
- Analysis of cancer detection rates over time.
Main Results:
- Cancers were classified as true (67), false-negative (22), unclassifiable (28), occult (12), and minimal sign (5).
- The interval cancer rate did not meet National Guidelines in the first 3 years.
- False-negative cancers were more common in the 1st interval year, while true cancers appeared later.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest potential benefits from altering the current breast screening program.
- The program may still be in a learning phase, impacting current data interpretation.
- Further evaluation is needed to optimize interval cancer detection rates.