by David P. French, Lorna McWilliams, Anthony Howell, D
Gareth Evans
The Breast: VOLUME 64, P47-49, AUGUST
01, 2022 (Published: May 09, 2022)
Risk-stratified breast cancer screening may improve the
balance of screening benefits to harms.
We assess a potential new harm: reduced screening attendance
in women receiving below average-risk (false reassurance) or higher-risk
results (screening avoidance). Following initial screening, 26,668 women in the
PROCAS study received breast cancer risk estimates, with attendance recorded
for two subsequent screening rounds. First-screen attendance was slightly
reduced in below-average (85.6%) but not higher-risk women, compared to other
women (86.4%). Second-screen attendance increased for women at higher-risk
(89.2%) but not below-average, compared to other women (78.8%). Concerns about
this potential harm of risk-stratified screening therefore appear unfounded.
