Notes on the data: Screening programs - Breast screening

Breast screening participation, females aged 50 to 74 years, 2018 and 2019, and 2019 and 2020

Policy context: The data presented here are for women screened for breast cancer as a result of screening programs [1].

Breast cancer is a major health issue for Australian women. Currently, few scientifically proven strategies are available for preventing the development of breast cancer. However, research has shown that screening mammography is currently the most effective tool for the early detection of breast cancer in asymptomatic women in the target age group of women aged 50 to 74 years; and, that having a screening mammogram every two years, reduces the chance of dying from breast cancer by up to 40%. Participation in breast screening in South Australia is associated with a reduction in breast cancer mortality of between 30% and 41% [2].

BreastScreen Australia is the national breast cancer screening program with services provided by state-based organisations - in this case by BreastScreen New South Wales, BreastScreen Victoria, BreastScreen Queensland, BreastScreen Western Australia and BreastScreen ACT. The program provides screening and assessment services on a state-wide basis at no cost to eligible women, using fixed and mobile clinics. The target age group is asymptomatic women aged 50 to 69 years; asymptomatic women aged 40 to 49 and 75 years and older are also able to attend [3]. Women who are eligible because of a strong family history of breast cancer are invited annually.

Screening mammograms are different from diagnostic mammograms, which are not provided by BreastScreen Australia. Diagnostic mammograms are for women who have breast symptoms and include views that target the symptomatic area. Screening mammograms are not suitable for women with breast symptoms.

Notes/ References

The data do not include women who undergo private screening; the impact of such services is estimated to be quite small – see: Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA). BreastScreen Australia evaluation: Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Mammography Analysis Project. (Screening monograph no. 11/2009.) Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2009.
Roder D, Houssami N, Farshid G, Gill G, Luke C, Downey P, Beckmann K, Iosifidis P, Grieve L, Williamson L. Population screening and intensity of screening are associated with reduced breast cancer mortality: evidence of efficacy of mammography screening in Australia. Breast Cancer Res Tr. 2008;108(3):409-16.
Australian Government Department of Health. BreastScreen Australia program: About the program [Internet]. [cited 2014 May 22, updated 2016 Mar 15]. Available from: http://www.cancerscreening.gov.au/internet/screening/publishing.nsf/Content/about-the-program

Notes: The participation rate for the 24 month period to the end of each calendar year is based on the actual number of women screened as a percentage of the average of the ABS Estimated Resident Population (ERP) for the two corresponding calendar years. If a woman has attended more than once in the 24 months, she is counted once only, and the age is for the last screening episode attended in the 24-month period.

Impact on screening during COVID-19 pandemic: The number of screening mammograms performed through BreastScreen Australia significantly declined in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened and tighter restrictions were put in place that included a suspension of all BreastScreen services from 25 March 2020 (see Did fewer people screen for cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic? At https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer-screening/cancer-screening-and-covid-19-in-australia/contents/did-fewer-people-screen-for-cancer-during-the-covid-19-pandemic). As a result, data have been included for two screening periods.

Note: As the BreastScreen data provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) were not in geocoded form, counts of events for geographic areas (e.g., Population Health Areas (PHAs)) have been derived from a postcode to geographic area correspondence. The correspondence file apportions events in a postcode to a single or to multiple PHAs on the basis of the total population, and not on the specific age range applicable to those being screened, or of females. The PHA data are, therefore, estimates.

As data for BreastScreen WA for screening outcomes were not provided to PHIDU, the data for participation have also not been published.

Geography: Data available by Population Health Area, Local Government Area, Primary Health Network, Quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area and Quintiles within PHNs, and Remoteness Area

Numerator: Number of individual women aged 50 to 74 years screened over a 24 month period ending 31 December 2019 and a 24 month period ending 31 December 2020

Denominator: Females aged 50 to 74 years (Estimated Resident Population (ABS): average of 30 June 2018 and 30 June 2019 or average of 30 June 2019 and 30 June 2020

Detail of analysis: Per cent

Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on data from:

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare from BreastScreen NSW, BreastScreen Victoria, BreastScreen Queensland, BreastScreen SA, BreastScreen Tasmania, BreastScreen NT, and BreastScreen ACT.
ABS Estimated Resident Population, average of 30 June 2018 and 30 June 2019, and average of 30 June 2019 and 30 June 2020.