Breast 14

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the 5-year survival for women with screen-detected breast cancer and to compare that with survival in women presenting with symptomatic breast cancer. Methods: Prospectively collected data on patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 1993 and December 1994 and followed up until the end of 1999 was collated and analysed. Five-year survival was broken down by age at diagnosis, tumour size, grade and nodal status. The overall 5-year survival for women with screen-detected cancers was compared with that for women with symptomatically presenting cancers. Results: A total of 308 patients with invasive breast cancer were referred to the unit (162 via the breast screening programme and 146 presenting symptomatically). The overall 5-year survival was 85.5 per cent (CI: 80.8–89.1). Small tumour size, low grade and negative nodal status were associated with higher survival rates. Five-year survival in the screen-detected patients (91.7 per cent; CI: 85.8–95.2) was higher than in those presenting symptomatically (78.6; CI: 70.6–84.6; P < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings suggest that patients with screen-detected breast cancer have better survival rates compared to those with symptomatically detected breast cancer. This supports the argument in favour of a beneficial impact of breast screening programmes on patients' survival.