December 14, 2015
Breast screening is saving lives
A major new study confirms that New Zealand’s organised breast screening programme, BreastScreen Aotearoa (BSA) is
reducing deaths from breast cancer.
BSA Clinical Leader, Dr Marli Gregory, says the study concludes that for women who have ever been screened by BSA, the
rate of death from breast cancer is reduced by a third, compared to women never screened by the programme.
For women who take part in regular BSA screening, there is an even greater reduction in breast cancer death rate. The
findings of this study are in line with mortality studies of breast screening programmes internationally.
Dr Gregory says Maori women have a higher rate of developing breast cancer, and a higher rate of death from breast
cancer, than other New Zealand women.
The participation rate for Mâori women taking part in the breast screening programme remains lower than for other New
Zealand women.
“However, this study confirms that if we can achieve the same participation rates for Mâori women as for the rest of
the population, we would see similar reductions in the rate of deaths from breast cancer. This is why it is important
for Maori women to take part in organised breast screening,” Dr Gregory says.
BSA encourages women aged 45-69 to screen regularly to continue to reduce the rate of death from breast cancer for New
Zealand women.
The National Screening Unit commissioned the University of New South Wales to undertake the mortality evaluation. The
researchers have extensive experience in high profile cancer epidemiology projects in Australia and internationally, and
have been involved in mortality evaluations for breast screening programmes in Australia.
Researcher Professor David Roder, from the University of South Australia says: “This study shows that New Zealand’s
organised breast screening programme has been associated with clear and significant reductions in breast cancer deaths
in New Zealand women.”
The final report has been peer reviewed by international expert, Professor Stephen Duffy, who is the Professor of Cancer
Screening at the Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine, in the United Kingdom.
Key facts
Results were adjusted for screening selection bias, age and ethnicity. Among New Zealand women who had ever been
screened in the BSA programme:
•There was a 34% reduction in the rate of death from breast cancer among all women who were screened, compared to those
who had never been screened. This was calculated for the current coverage (participation) rate of 71%.
•There was a 28% reduction in the rate of death from breast cancer among Mâori women who were screened, compared to
those who have never been screened. This was calculated for the current coverage rate of 65%.
•At the target coverage rate of 70%, it is projected that for Mâori women the reduction would be 32%.
•There was a 40% reduction in breast cancer mortality for Pacific women who were screened compared to those who had
never been screened, calculated at the current coverage of 72%.
BSA started screening eligible women aged 50-64 in December 1998 after two successful pilots. In 2004, the eligible age
range was extended to 45-69 years. You can see the full study at https://www.nsu.govt.nz/news/breastscreen-aotearoa-study-breast-cancer-mortality-1999-2011
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