Reduction in interval cancer rates following the introduction of two-view mammography in the UK breast screening programme


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Amanda Dibden1, Judith Offman1, Dharmishta Parmar1, Jacquie Jenkins2, Jo Slater3, Kathie Binysh4, Joan McSorley5, Suzanne Scorfield6, Pam Cumming7, Xiao-Hui Liao8, Michael Ryan9, Diane Harker10, Guy Stevens11, Nicola Rogers12, Roger Blanks13, Sarah Sellars14, Julietta Patnick14, Stephen Duffy1
1Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK, 2East Midlands Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Nottingham, UK, 3East of England Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Cambridge, UK, 4London Quality Assurance Reference Centre, London, UK, 5Northern Ireland Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Belfast, UK, 6North East, Yorkshire and the Humber Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, 7North West Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Oldham, UK, 8South Central Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Oxford, UK, 9South East Coast Quality Assurance Reference Centre, East Sussex, UK, 10South West Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Bristol, UK, 11Public Health Wales, Cardiff, UK, 12West Midlands Quality Assurance Reference Centre, Birmingham, UK, 13University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 14NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, Sheffield, UK

Background

The introduction of two-view mammography at incident (subsequent) screens in the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) has led to an increased number of cancers detected at screen. However, the effect of two-view mammography on interval cancer rates has yet to be assessed.

Method

Routine screening and interval cancer data were collated from all screening programmes in the UK for women aged 50-64, screened between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2005. Interval cancer rates were compared based upon whether two-view mammography was in use at the last routine screen.

Results

The reduction in interval cancers following screening using two-view mammography compared to one view was 0.68 per 1,000 women screened. Overall, this suggests the introduction of two-view mammography at incident screen was accompanied by a 15-20% reduction in interval cancer rates in the NHSBSP.

Conclusion

The reduction in interval cancers is consistent with the increase in screen detected cancers seen following the introduction of two-view mammography at incident screens. The results provide further evidence of the benefit of the use of two-view mammography at incident screens.