Screening outcomes in women over age 70 who self-refer in the NHSBSP in England
Menée en Angleterre, cette étude évalue le recours spontané au dépistage individuel du cancer du sein par des femmes agées de plus de 70 ans, et l'intérêt d'étendre le dépistage organisé au-delà de 70 ans
SettingThe NHS breast screening programme (NHSBSP) in England currently invites women aged 50-70 every three years. Whilst screening is acknowledged as efficacious for women aged 50-69, several countries routinely invite women up to the age of 74. The NHSBSP in England is beginning to invite women up to the age of 73. Although the incidence of breast cancer increases with age, the possible benefits of screening older women must be balanced against shorter life expectancies and possible overdiagnosis. In England women can self-refer after reaching the invitation upper age limit. Objective We examined the extent to which older women in England self-referred over a three-year period and studied the screening outcomes in these women. MethodsRoutinely collected data from screening units in England were used to calculate screening performance measures for women who self-referred between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008. The tumour characteristics of all screen-detected cancers were examined by previous screening history and age group (71-74 and [≥]75 years). ResultsDuring the three-year period 139,910 women aged over 70 self-referred; equivalent to 4% of the female population aged over 70 having been screened. The majority of women who self-referred had been screened within the previous five years (76% of those aged 71-74 and 65% of those aged 75 or over). Approximately 4% of these women were recalled for assessment and cancer detection rates were similar in both age groups. ConclusionOnly a small proportion of all women aged over 70 utilize the self-referral policy of the NHSBSP, and most such women are aged below 80.
http://jms.rsmjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/18/2/91 2011