Breast cancer screening saves over 10,000 lives

?TK |

21 September 2012

Prague, Sept 20 (CTK) - The Czech programme of breast cancer screenings covered by health insurance saved the lives of over 10,000 women in ten years, the Association of Czech Breast Radiologists (AMA) has told CTK.

Screening can reveal a breast tumours in time and thus enable an efficient and successful treatment.

Though the number of breast cancer cases has been rising, according to statistics, the mortality has not increased thanks to the across-the-board screening.

All women over 45 years have the right to a free mammographic examination every other year. They must have a recommendation from their GPs or gynaecologists.

The association wants women from this target group to receive invitations to breast cancer screenings by mail.

The screening programme was launched in the autumn of 2002. The number of women to undergo mammography has been gradually rising since then.

Last year a total of 538,500 women in the 10.5-million Czech Republic underwent a breast cancer screening, which was about a half of the target group. In 2003 it was 13 percent of women over 45 years.

Since 2008 the share has stabilised at some 50 percent.

Miroslava Skovajsova, AMA chairwoman and founder of the screening programme, points out that the required order from a GP or gynaecologist complicates the situation since some women do not see a GP or a gynaecologist and this is why they do not take part in breast cancer screening either.

Yet the examination is able to diagnose breast cancer in time, she noted.

In 2010, the breast cancer screenings revealed 2822 tumours in the case of women who went to the check-up without any symptoms. Over 70 percent of the tumours were in an early stage.

The screenings also revealed tumours of another almost 4000 patients who came to mammography only after they felt a wen in their breast. These cases do not have such positive outlooks.

Experts want 80-90 percent of women over 45 years to undergo breast cancer screenings. They want to push through that no special order for the screening from a doctor would be needed. In addition, they would like invitations to screenings to be sent.

Skovajsova said the inviting of women from the target group would lower the breast cancer death toll.

Experts are not yet considering lowering the age from which a mammographic examination is free. A targeted monitoring of women from the families in which breast cancer appeared is much more efficient, Skovajsova added.

Health insurers should also cover a mammographic examination of younger women who face a high risk of breast cancer due to their family anamnesis, Skovajsova added.

The number of breast cancer cases has been rising in the Czech Republic. In 2008, 6801 new cases were registered and 1946 women died of breast cancer. The death toll has been slightly falling, however, the AMA said.

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Source: http://praguemonitor.com/2012/09/21/breast-cancer-screening-saves-over-10000-lives

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