Screening for metastatic disease in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. What is cost-effective?
Norum, J.; Andreassen, T.
Anticancer Research 20(3b): 2193-2196
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0250-7005 PMID: 10928176 Document Number: 515099
Background: Significant health care resources are today spent on diagnosing and treatment of early breast cancer. Materials and Methods: 98 consecutive patients referred to our oncological unit between January 1997 and June 1998 underwent an evaluation programme including thoracic X-ray, liver and bone scan and blood test. When findings suspected for metastatic disease were revealed, further examinations (CT-scan, MRI) were performed. Results: Whereas the screening programme disclosed four cases (4%) of distant metastasis, several patients had to suffer the psychological distress of false positive results. One in three suspicious thoracic X-rays, two in two liver scans and 18 out of 21 suspected bone scans were concluded false positive in terms of metastatic disease. A screening programme including blood test and thoracic X-ray alone, would have mis-classified one out of 98 patients. Conclusion: This study indicated thoracic X-ray and blood test as being sufficient and pnd110 per patient screened could be saved.