Patient profiles and tumour characteristics in 259 breast cancers detected on first round screening in an open access breast screening clinic

In this analysis, data in relation to 259 breast malignancies detected on first round screening at the Royal Womenʹs Hospital Breast Screening Clinic (RWHBSC), Brisbane, in the first 6 years of its function, is reviewed. A reduction in recall rate was noted when two-view mammography was adopted as the method of screening over single-view mammography plus physical examination, which was practised for the first 2 years of the Clinicʹs operation. The parameters of clinic performance, including a recall rate of 9.1%, an open surgical biopsy rate of 1.5%, a benign to malignancy biopsy ratio of 1.1:1, a cancer detection rate of 7.1 cancers per 1000 women screened, and a cancer detection rate for tumours < 10 mm of 1.6 cancers per 1000 women screened, reflect favourably on the standard of conduct of the Clinic. The results of this review indicate that early detection of breast cancer by mammography screening can be successfully achieved, provided strict quality assurance guidelines are followed.