Survival in female breast cancers has generally improved but the relative contribution of early detection or treatment in this positive development is not known. Our aim was to assess the possible role of national mammography screening programs in survival improvement. Such screening has been offered to women, usually at 50-69 years of age, in Finland and Sweden since the 1980s and in Denmark and Norway since the 1990s. Participation rates have been high, ranging from 60% to 90%. We analyzed incidence and mortality changes and relative 5- and 10-year survival trends in breast cancer as novel measures in these countries using the NORDCAN database. Survival trends were compared in age groups of women who were screened to those who were not screened. We observed a relative survival advantage in 5-year and 10-year survival in the screened age groups after the period of national mammography screening was in place and this was consistent in each country. Timing and age-specific targeting of the improvements suggest that mammography may have contributed to the survival benefits. However, as we had no individual data on women who used the service, more detailed studies are needed to confirm the suggested survival advantage, particularly concerning mortality in stage-specific breast cancer.

Biomedical Center and Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen Charles University Prague 30605 Pilsen Czech Republic

Division of Cancer Epidemiology German Cancer Research Center Im Neuenheimer Feld 580 69120 Heidelberg Germany

Division of Pediatric Neurooncology German Cancer Research Center 69120 Heidelberg Germany

Hopp Children's Cancer Center 69120 Heidelberg Germany

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Conditional survival in breast cancer up to 10 years in the Nordic countries

Survival, Incidence, and Mortality Trends in Female Cancers in the Nordic Countries