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Review

The UK breast screening program – what you need to know

, , &
Pages 313-320 | Received 23 Feb 2017, Accepted 04 Jun 2017, Published online: 29 Jun 2017
 

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women with a lifetime risk of 1 in 8 in the UK. The disease is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The UK breast screening program has been in place for almost 30 years and has evolved with improved diagnostic imaging. The overall benefits of the screening program are subject to continued heated debate with multiple potential harms. The aim of this review is to provide the non-breast specialist health-care professional an overview of the evolution of the breast screening program, a summary of the evidence of the benefits, and a description of the harms. In addition, the diagnostic methods currently employed as well as potential future changes to the screening program and imaging techniques will be covered.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare there are no potential conflicts of interest.

Source of funding

Nil.

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