Breast Cancer Screening in Europe

As controlled trials have demonstrated that in many European countries breast cancer mortality may be reduced by population-based mammographic screening of women over the age of 50, there is mounting pressure to introduce new service screening programmes. How should these programmes be planned and monitored ? Is it cost-effective ? We invited experts whowork with the principal screening programmes in Europe to answer these questions and to describe their experiences. Particualr attention has been given to planning, organisation and monitoring new screening programmes in order to achieve optimal results.

The monograph collects experience from the principal breast cancer screening programmes carried out in Europe. Various aspects of planning, organisation, monitoring are discussed as well as clinical diagnostic and therapeutic problems related to screening.

Contents: Breast cancer: the scene in Europe.- Overview of European screening programmes.- Evidence of the effectiveness of breast cancer screening.- Cost-effectiveness analysis of breast cancer screening.- Programme organisation in breast cancer screening.- Compliance in breast Cancer screening: the Spanish experience.- Breast cancer screening in Montpellier.- The Bas-Rhin model: a non-centralised screening programme.- Non-invasive breast cancer: an important screening problem.- Criteria for recall and disgnostic assessment.- Pathology in breast cancer screening: a 15-year experience from a Swedish programme.- Therapeutic aspects of screen-detected lesions: the role of the surgeon.- Monitoring the impact of a breast cancer screening programme.- Training in mammographic screening.- Quality control in mammography.- Quality of life and breast cancer screening.