Study: Women in U.K. Screening Program Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk

Women who participate in the National Health Services's breast-screening program in the United Kingdom may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who choose to not participate, according to researchers at the University of Manchester in England.

Researchers studied more than 40,000 women who were invited to participate in the regional NHS breast-screening program between 1989 and 1990. Eighty-two percent took part in the screening at least once.

In their study published in the British Medical Journal, the researchers report that the number of non-attenders diagnosed with breast cancer was significantly less than expected, suggesting that their risk of breast cancer is lower than it is in the population targeted for screening.

The researchers conclude that those who attend must have a higher risk. Researchers suggest that the proportion of breast cancers potentially detectable by screening is higher than expected when cancer targets were set, and this "self selection" for screening may have important implications for NHS breast cancer detection targets, which should be reevaluated.

Other sources: British Medical Association