A longer breast carcinoma screening interval for women age older than 65 years?
BACKGROUND
The observed increase in sojourn time for preclinical breast carcinoma raises the question of whether women age >/= 65 years can be screened less frequently than younger women.


METHODS
A cost-utility analysis using a computer model that simulates the demography, epidemiology, and natural history of breast carcinoma to estimate expected life-years gained, extra incidence, extra life-years with disease, and costs incurred by different breast carcinoma screening programs in the general population was conducted.


RESULTS
The estimated ratio of favorable/unfavorable effects was lower for longer screening intervals compared with shorter screening intervals. The cost-effectiveness ratio was much less favorable in shorter screening intervals.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the current analysis showed that although a longer sojourn time for preclinical breast carcinoma should not necessarily be accompanied by a longer screening interval, a shorter screening interval was not very efficient.
Boer
R
R
Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
de Koning
H J
HJ
van der Maas
P J
PJ
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors