Stage of breast cancers found during the surveillance of women with a familial or hereditary risk.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the breast cancer stages found during MG alone surveillance in women at increased risk with those detected in a program where MRI was added.


METHODS
Stage results of in a retrospective MG alone study of prospectively followed patients, compared with the pooled stage results of breast cancers MG/MRI surveillance.


RESULTS
One hundred and-fifty-one patients were detected with a first or contralateral breast cancer. Interval cancers were diagnosed in 56% of the BRCA1, 42% of the BRCA2 and 28% of the non-BRCA carriers. A considerable proportion of the breast cancers were detected with breast self-examination alone: 41%, 27% and 31% respectively. Nevertheless the established goals for biennial population screening were reached, except for the BRCA2 carriers, but this group was small. Comparison with pooled data from published MG/MRI surveillance studies did not show significant differences in the stages, except for the BRCA2 carriers.


CONCLUSIONS
Breast cancers detected in a MG alone surveillance program for women at increased risk fulfill most goals set for population screening except for the BRCA2 carriers. Breast self-examination appears to be a valuable additional detection method especially for BRCA1 carriers, who are at risk of developing a highly proliferating breast cancer.
Kaas
R
R
Department of Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. r.kaas@nki.nl
Muller
S H
SH
Hart
A A M
AA
Rutgers
E J T
EJ
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D016504:Breast Self-Examination; D005260:Female; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D024522:Genes, BRCA2; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors