Asia ; Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis ; Breast Neoplasms/economics* ; Breast Neoplasms/prevention & control ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Early Detection of Cancer/economics* ; Europe ; Female ; Humans ; Mammography/economics* ; Prognosis ; United Kingdom ; United States
Keywords
breast cancer ; Cost-Effectiveness ; mammography ; mass screening ; Systematic Review ; Asia
Abstract
Background: Mammography is considered the gold standard of breast cancer mass screening and many
countries have implemented this as an established breast cancer screening strategy. However, although the
incidence of breast cancer and racial characteristics are different between Western and Asian countries, many
Asian countries adopted mammography for mass screening. Therefore, the objective of this research was to
determine whether mammography mass screening is cost-effective for both Western and Asian countries.
Materials and Methods: A systematic review was performed of 17 national mammography cost-effectiveness
data sets. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP), breast cancer incidence rate, and the most optimal costeffectiveness
results [cost per life year saved (LYS)] of a mammography screening strategy for each data set
were extracted. The CE/per capita GDP ratio is used to compare the cost-effectiveness of mammography by
countries. Non-parametric regression was used to find a cut-off point which indicated the breast cancer incidence
rate boundary line determining whether mammography screening is cost-effective or not. Results: We found
that the cost-effective cut-off point of breast cancer incidence rate was 45.04; it exactly divided countries into
Western and Asian countries (p<0.0014). Conclusions: Mammography screening is cost-effective in most of
Western countries, but not in Asian countries. The reason for this result may be the issues of incidence rate or
racial characteristics, such as dense breast tissue. The results indicate that mammography screening should be
adopted prudently in Asian countries and other countries with low incidence rates.