European mammography service screening balance sheet
| Benefits | Harms | |
|---|---|---|
| Estimates from the reviews | Pooled estimates of mortality reduction among screened women range from 38% (IBM studies) to 48% (case–control studies) | Estimates of overdiagnosis adjusted for lead-time and breast cancer risk range from 1% to 10%, with a corrected average estimate of 6.5%. |
| Estimates of cumulative risk of false–positive results range from 8% to 21%, with a pooled estimate of 17% without invasive assessment and 3% with invasive assessment. | ||
| Balance sheet | ||
| For every 1,000 women ages 50 years screened biennially until 69 years and followed until 79 years: | Seven to 9 women's lives are saved (out of 30 deaths expected in the absence of screeninga) | Four women are overdiagnosed (67 cancers expected in the absence of screening). |
| One hundred and seventy women have at least one recall with noninvasive assessment giving a negative result. | ||
| Thirty women have at least one recall with invasive assessment giving a negative result. | ||
↵aNineteen of the 30 expected breast cancer–related deaths were diagnosed in ages 50–69.