Screening and its effect on breast cancer mortality rates

Excerpt

In the Health of the Nation document published by the Department of Health in 1993 it was stated that the eventual success of the breast screening programme would be measured in terms of the breast cancer mortality reduction achieved. Unfortunately, outside the environment of randomised controlled trials the actual mortality reduction from screening is extremely difficult to measure with any precision. This is because national mortality statistics between the start of screening in 1988 and the present day have been affected not only by screening, but also by treatment improvements, cohort effects, earlier presentation outside the screening programme and even changes in the way breast cancer deaths are coded. …