Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Fatih Kara ¹
• Bekir Keskinkilic ²
• Murat Turkyilmaz ³
• Fahriye Unlu ³
• Selin Dundar ³
• Erkin Aribal ⁴
• Serap Gultekin ⁵
• Aysenur Oktay ⁶

¹ Department of Public Health; Turkish Ministry of Health, Public Health Institute, Ankara, Turkey

² Turkish Ministry of Health, Public Health Institute, Ankara, Turkey

³ Turkish Ministry of Health, Public Health Institute, Cancer Control Division, Ankara, Turkey

⁴ Acibadem University, School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Istanbul, Turkey

⁵ Gazi University, School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Ankara, Turkey

⁶ Ege University School of Medicine Department of Radiology Izmir

Abstract

Introduction: In Turkey, a population-based breast cancer screening program for women aged 40 to 69 years old was recently introduced. The goal of this study was to document early outcomes and assess the program's success.
Method: This study looked at the 348,638 women who were screened in 2016. For end results, all data was gathered from the national centralized reporting system and the Cancer Registry database. For benign discoveries, Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 1-2 were applied, and for recalls, BI-RADS 0, 4, or 5 were utilized, depending on the level of suspicion. The study looked at the age distribution, recall rate, cancer detection, and interval cancer rates. The stages of identified malignancies were examined and compared to those of the nonscreened group throughout the same time frame.
Results: In the screening population, 43.2 percent of women were between the ages of 40 and 49, and 56.8% were between the ages of 50 and 69. The age range of 50–69 was responsible for 70% of screen-detected malignancies. The total recall rate (n = 19,607) was 5.6 percent. The malignancy rate for BI-RADS 5 recalls was 70.2 percent, 19.2 percent for BI-RADS 4, and 1.7 percent for BI-RADS 0 recalls. Screen-discovered malignancies were detected at a rate of 3.2 per 1000 screening exams (n = 1,120). When compared to the Non screened group, the screened group had a larger percentage of early-stage illness (54.3%). (46.7 percent). Interval cancers were discovered in 231 women (0.66 per 1000 screened women).
Conclusion: Turkey's recently launched population-based breast cancer screening program appears to be viable and successful, according to preliminary results. According to this study, the breast cancer screening program should be sustained, with coverage of the target group rising.

Keywords

• Breast cancer
• Early detection
• Mammography
• Screening
• Population-based
• Clinical
• Turkey

Main Subjects

• Cancer Screening