CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BREAST CANCERS DIAGNOSED IN PARTICIPANTS, NON-PARTICIPANTS AND NOT INVITED TO THE BREAST CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMME IN NORTHERN PORTUGAL (2003-2008): PART ONE EVALUATION

Authors

  • Maria José Bento Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Portugal; Epidemiology Department, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7690-9830
  • Guilherme Gonçalves Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0030-3346
  • Ana Aguiar Portuguese Cancer League – North Branch, Porto, Portugal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6812-8962
  • Luis Antunes Epidemiology Department, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3098-0711
  • Clara Castro Epidemiology Department, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal
  • Vitor Veloso Portuguese Cancer League – North Branch, Porto, Portugal
  • Vítor Rodrigues Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Portuguese Cancer League – Centre Branch, Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34635/rpc.807

Keywords:

Breast cancer, organized screening, non-participants, mammography

Abstract

 The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and pathological characteristics of the invasive breast cancers diagnosed in women participant in the beginning of breast cancer screening programme, compared to cancers detected in non-participants and in not invited women. Data was retrieved from the population-based North Region Cancer Registry and from the organized population-based Breast Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) of the north region of Portugal, and records were matched to select the three groups for comparison. In 125 screening participants, 75.8% of invasive breast cancers were ≤ 20 mm, 67.7% had no axillary lymph nodes metastasis and 58.1% were stage I. These characteristics were significantly more favourable than those found in breast cancers detected in non-participants (57 women) or not invited (314 women). After multivariable analysis, size remained the only distinguishing characteristic of breast cancers detected within the screening programme compared to the other two studied groups. Breast cancers detected in screening participants were significantly smaller, which is consistent with findings by other authors. The more favourable prognostic characteristics of the breast cancers detected in a population exposed to screening (including interval cancers) indicate a possible mortality reduction in the future. 

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Published

2020-07-02

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