Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (12)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Walter, S. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Walter, S. D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Annals of Oncology 14:1190-1192, 2003
© 2003 European Society for Medical Oncology

Original Paper

Mammographic screening: case–control studies

S. D. Walter+

Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Received 4 July; accepted 3 April 2003

Background:

The case–control design can be used to evaluate the benefit of cancer screening programmes.

Materials and methods:

This paper outlines the main methodological features of the case–control design in this context, and indicates some potential biases. It also reviews the existing case–control literature on mammographic screening.

Results:

Case–control studies consistently indicate a reduction of ~50% in breast cancer mortality associated with mammography. This result indicates greater benefit than shown in randomised trials; however, one should recognise that trials indicate effectiveness whereas case–control studies indicate efficacy. The two types of evidence are broadly compatible when one allows for screening non-compliance and contamination in the randomised trials.

Conclusions:

The case–control evidence supports and is consistent with the findings of randomised trials of mammography. Effectiveness estimates from trials indicate the benefit of screening to the population as a whole, and are pertinent to the public policy debate as to the value of offering screening. In contrast, case–control studies indicate benefit to actual screening participants. As such, case–control estimates of efficacy are appropriate for individual decision-making by women about their use of mammography when it is potentially available to them.

Key words: case–control studies, effectiveness, efficacy, mammography, trials


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ANN INTERN MEDHome page
K. Armstrong, E. Moye, S. Williams, J. A. Berlin, and E. E. Reynolds
Screening Mammography in Women 40 to 49 Years of Age: A Systematic Review for the American College of Physicians
Ann Intern Med, April 3, 2007; 146(7): 516 - 526.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.Home page
C. E. Jacobi, N. J.D. Nagelkerke, J. C. van Houwelingen, and G. H. de Bock
Breast Cancer Screening, Outside the Population-Screening Program, of Women from Breast Cancer Families without Proven BRCA1/BRCA2 Mutations: a Simulation Study.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., March 1, 2006; 15(3): 429 - 436.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann OncolHome page
P. Boyle
Global summit on mammographic screening
Ann. Onc., August 1, 2003; 14(8): 1159 - 1160.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.