ECIBC releases new recommendations on breast cancer screening

This World Cancer Day, ECIBC releases 17 new recommendations providing now access to a total of 40 recommendations on breast cancer screening and diagnosis, announced also via the JRC website (EU Science Hub).

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the EU. Data from the European Cancer Information System (ECIS) estimate more than 400,000 new cases were diagnosed in 2018.

In line with World Cancer Day's goals to raise cancer awareness and encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment, these recommendations aim to better inform women and guide healthcare professionals and policymakers to plan, organise, and deliver effective and accessible breast cancer services.

European women's probability of developing breast cancer over a lifetime is approximately 1 in 8*. A woman's individual risk of breast cancer may be higher or lower than this average, depending on a number of factors, including age, family history, reproductive history (such as menstrual and childbearing history), race/ethnicity, and others.

The ECIBC work on the Guideline development is planned to be completed in 2019 when a total of 80 recommendations will be publicly accessible and tailored to three groups:

1. healthcare professionals,


2. patients/individuals,


3. policymakers.

The topics covered include strategies on the organisation of screening programmes, types of tests to be offered, mammogram reading, diagnostic methods, how to communicate results and training of professionals involved in breast cancer screening and diagnosis.

The published recommendations address:

• How often women of different age ranges, with no symptoms who are not at high risk of breast cancer, should undertake periodic mammography screening


• The most suitable way to invite a woman for a screening, and how to inform them of the harms and benefits


• strategies for communicating effectively with vulnerable groups such as non-native speakers, socially disadvantaged women or those with an intellectual disability


• the type of examination to perform in order to assess women with suspicious lesions discovered during mammography screening


• the use of clip marking (a 2-3 mm device, visible in different imaging techniques, placed in the breast tissue to locate where the excision needs to be made) for surgical planning in women with a cancer lesion

In line with World Cancer Day's goals, these recommendations help women to be better informed and guide policymakers and healthcare professionals to plan, organise, and deliver effective and accessible breast cancer services.

For further reference log on to:

https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/new-breast-cancer-recommendations-published