MAMMOGRAPHIC SCREENING AFTER THE AGE OF 65 YEARS - EARLY OUTCOMES IN THE NIJMEGEN PROGRAM

We studied outcomes of mammographic screening in women older than 65 y ears. In 1975, breast cancer screening was started in Nijmegen, The Ne therlands, for women aged 35-65 years. Since 1977, approximately 7700 older women have also been invited for biennial one-view mammography. This report is based on ten screening rounds from 1975 to 1994. The re sults of the subsequent screening rounds in the age groups 65-69 years , 70-74 years and 75 years and older were: participation rates 55%, 39 % and 15%; screen-detected cancer rates 5.6 parts per thousand, 6.9 pa rts per thousand and 7.8 parts per thousand; interval cancer rates 2.0 parts per thousand, 1.8 parts per thousand and 3.5 parts per thousand ; and predictive values of referral 62%, 64% and 62% respectively. In all age groups, screen-detected patients had smaller rumours and a low er prevalence of axillary lymph node involvement than unscreened patie nts. Our conclusion is that, in women aged 65 years and older, breast cancer can be detected at an earlier stage by mammographic screening.