title: Interval carcinomas of the breast: a group with intermediate outcome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interval carcinoma is defined as a carcinoma detected between two mammographic screening rounds after a negative screening. By some authors these carcinomas are considered to be more aggressive than screen-detected carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a group of 937 patients referred for breast cancer in the period 1975-1990, 76 interval carcinoma patients were treated. In a retrospective study the outcome was studied of patients with an interval carcinoma in comparison with patients with screen-detected carcinomas and of patients with clinically detected carcinomas outside the screening program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference was found in the 5-year and 10-year disease-free survival of patients with interval carcinoma (80%, 68%) and the screen-detected group (89%, 81%) (P = 0.12). The interval group did significantly better than the patients with carcinomas detected outside the screening program (P = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interval-detected cancers for patients in the screening program had an outcome intermediate between patients with screen-detected cancers and patients with cancers detected outside the screening program. The difference between interval-detected cancers and cancers detected outside the screening program was significant, whereas the difference between screen-detected and interval cancers was not.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Schroën
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wobbes
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: van der Sluis
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008327:Mammography; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome