Evaluation of the Possible Benefits of Breast Cancer Screening in Women Aged 40 to 49 Years in the Steel Valley Region, Brazil

Evaluation of the Possible Benefits of Breast Cancer Screening in Women Aged 40 to 49 Years in the Steel Valley Region, Brazil

Background: This study investigates the effectiveness of mammographic screening for women aged 40 to 49 in Brazil's Steel Valley Region. Despite a Ministry of Health recommendation to start screenings at 50, 25% of breast cancer cases occur in the 40-49 age group. Methods: The retrospective ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of breast cancer Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 172 - 182
Main Authors: AIRES LIMA, Cátia Cilene, Daruich de Souza, Carla
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: 01-05-2024
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Background: This study investigates the effectiveness of mammographic screening for women aged 40 to 49 in Brazil's Steel Valley Region. Despite a Ministry of Health recommendation to start screenings at 50, 25% of breast cancer cases occur in the 40-49 age group. Methods: The retrospective analysis, spanning 2008-2019 at Marcio Cunha Hospital, compared two groups: cancer diagnosed via screening mammography (277) and diagnostic mammography (229). Results: Results showed delayed diagnoses for non-screened women, with 4.16 times higher mortality rate. Screening facilitated earlier detection of less malignant cancers (85.9% vs. 43.7%). Women diagnosed through screening were more likely to preserve their breasts (28.9% vs. 55.5% for Radical Breast Surgery and 71.1% vs. 28.9% for Breast-Sparing Surgery), and fewer axillary lymphadenectomies were performed. All statistical tests performed returned a p-value lower than 0.05 showing high statistical significance. Conclusion: The findings support extending screening mammography access to all women over 40 in the Steel Valley region and underscore the need for broader-scale research in other areas. Recommendations include enhancing public awareness and establishing a breast cancer surveillance service.
ISSN:2383-0425
2383-0433
DOI:10.32768/abc.2024112172-182